Bone
by LadyGhoul
Summary: A Marauder Era story: What if You-Know-Who isn't the biggest threat to the Wizarding World? What if Harry Potter isn't the first hero? Enjoy 1970's witches and wizards with a new spin. [Contains original characters and will not be entirely canon.]
1. Silence

_**Disclaimer:** Universe based of that created by JKR. There are a few original characters, and the story will probably not follow HP canon timelines._

 **Update:** Chapter Playlists can be found on my profile.

Happy reading!

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There was a bowtruckle on the tree.

Its long fingers dug into the pieces of bark, trying to carry its small, wood-like body up as it made a steady ascent. Every few inches it paused, wiggling a finger around small holes in hopes of finding grub. The bowtruckle remained oblivious of the fact that it was being observed, as bowtruckles are rarely ever noticed. Instead, it pulled a plump, off-white larva out of a hole, skewered by one of its claws, and stuffed the squirming thing into its flat face. With no noise at all, it chewed, taking a moment to bask in the golden rays peeking through the little tree's limbs and trickling down between the leaves before deciding to continue its journey.

Eri had been very careful in crafting a spell just for these occasions. She had been able to walk soundlessly through the woods, leaving the creatures unaware, for the most part, that she was watching. She spent several minutes like this, crouched down in a squat while the bowtruckle climbed. With all the talk about the Dark Arts and mischief going on at school and in the news, she made a mental note of just where this wiggentree was, in case she needed to find it again. Of course, not much had happened near the muggles; the Ministry tries to run a tight ship. She wondered if anyone in the Ministry had marked this area out or if these woods would remain unbothered by outside wizarding forces that would surely take this tree and any others they found to make wands and the like. Eri preferred the woods as they were: peaceful and whole.

The little bowtruckle had made its way up and into a knot in the tree's trunk. Eri risked getting a little closer just to peer inside. The bowtruckle had cozied itself up in the knot, full of grub and ready for a summer afternoon's nap. A light breeze blew a few loose pieces of dark brown hair into Eri's face and rustled leaves around her. The tree creature was unfazed and Eri decided she had infringed on its privacy for long enough. She was quick to rise, tucking some of the loose hair behind her ear and back into her bun where she could before stepping back on the path she had been following. She'd first noticed the trail sneaking back into the trees while walking home from the town pub where she worked and had decided to take a looksee at it on her next day off. Unfortunately, with school starting in two weeks and the costs of her supplies coming up, she hadn't taken a day off in a month before now. Finding such an inconspicuous beast, however, had made a day without pay worth it.

She reckoned the trail led towards the lake that connected the backs of several nearby neighborhoods and thought it'd be nice way to end her adventure before starting back home. By the end of her still-silent trek, she was out of breath from the unexpectedly steep, uphill climb. Careful to check and make sure the large tree next to her was bowtruckle-free, she sat down on one of its protruding roots and looked towards the water rippling under the sun's gaze in the small valley below. The lake was not big at all and Eri could easily see across the banks. She had never been to any of the muggle neighborhoods around the area, but knew that somewhere beyond the hills children would be playing in their front yards, parents would be coming home from work, parking cars and making dinner preparations. The thought of dinner made her stomach growl and she was suddenly very thankful for the spell she'd placed on herself. She'd have to figure out what to feed Fornax later as well. It made her feel awful, but she couldn't bring herself to let him out to hunt while away from other witches and wizards, and she was sure he was slowly going stir-crazy from being cooped up in the house for so long.

Several other concerns started crossing her mind and it put a damper on the view. This would be her last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which also meant she had N.E.W.T.s to worry about, careers to consider, and who knew what else would end up coming her way. There was a fluttering of nerves deep in her gut and her heart started to race at the thought of the sheer amount of work that would be coming up. The O.W.L.s had been difficult enough, although she'd fared well. The memory of other students strewn across halls, grounds, and other public areas in near-manic stages attempting to cram countless facts into their brains and practice spells until their arms wanted to fall off made her shudder. She was so distracted by the idea of the N.E.W.T.s, she didn't see the boy lounging on the incline of the hill a few feet below, reading an old book with a loose cover, dressed in ill-fitting and mismatched, muggle clothes, with a dark, polished wand in his hand. She didn't notice the flicks and motions or muttered incantations; not even the sound of flipping pages could pull her back to reality. So, when the incantation was complete and the _POP!_ sounded, followed by a flood of large, white flower petals, Eri gasped loudly and stood up. Again, she was very thankful for her silencing spell. The boy, now surrounded by petals, had gone back to reading whatever book was in his hand, and Eri remained unnoticed.

She couldn't see more than the top of his head and mismatched shoes, but the thought of finding a wizard here in the midst of all these muggles was both terrifying and exhilarating. She wanted so much to have at least some link to her world, any link at all during the times she came home, but at the same time, if any of the strict elitist of her house saw her working amongst muggles (much less _serving_ them), there would surely be hell to pay. She couldn't tell who the boy was, much less if he went to Hogwarts or whether or not he was in her house. Everything in her ached to reach out, to make contact, to ask questions, but she couldn't bring herself to. She couldn't bring herself to risk so much.

The boy raised his wand again and then, wordlessly, completed another spell, spewing water from the tip of his wand towards the lake below. Perhaps he was simply practicing, but Eri knew she had never seen a spell for flowers like that. It had most definitely never been taught in a class. She wondered if, like she had, the boy had created his own spell. She couldn't worry about that now, though, as the boy had closed his book and was starting to get up. His long, black hair draped over his shoulders and a large, patchy shirt swallowed his lanky frame, but Eri couldn't see his face and the sun was beginning to set. She thought it best to take her leave, in case the boy planned to use the same trail she had. Regardless of her sprinting through leaves, bramble, and stones, not a single creature heard her coming and barely noticed she was there, which meant the boy would never know she had been watching.

She was nearly home before the spell wore off. She could tell when it did because everything around her seemed to get the smallest bit louder and she could hear her own footsteps against the cement sidewalk. It grew steadily darker along the way until, when she finally reached her street, the moon was bright overhead and the sky turned black. Cicadas buzzed, hidden in patches of woods. At least, Eri thought, it was cooling off now. With the small breeze continuing on from the day, it meant a cool home to sleep in. She turned down the tiny, dirt path that marked her house. To a muggle, the little trail would take then towards the tree line. However, a few steps in and they would get turned around, popping back out of the trees where they started. But for Eri, the sole Secret Keeper of 13 Foxridge Lane, a medium-sized, two-story building, kept standing by magic alone, stood just within the slight forest.

She opened the door and was met by loud, mewing protests.

"Fornax, please. It's me." Eri said, closing the door behind her before the monstrosity of thick, jet black fur could escape. What should have been a cat, but seemed just too big, was sweeping himself around Eri's legs, clearly agitated. "I know you would like to go out, but I just can't risk something happening to you." Eri stooped down to look Fornax in the face. "Let's face it, you look like a bloody monster sometimes, Fornax. The muggles would try to capture you for sure."

At this Fornax hissed and padded off through a dark hall and towards the kitchen. As her only friend in this place for almost her entire life, reading him was second nature to Eri. "Fornax, please don't pout. I _promise_ , as soon as school is finished this year, I'll get a true witch's job. We'll move far away from the muggles if you'd like." She followed after the cat, lighting the Victorian lamps lining the halls with her wand as she went. Fornax did a circle around the kitchen before jumping on the marble countertop and looking back down the hall towards the family portrait hanging there, staring back towards them. She noticed Fornax's staring and looked over her shoulder. A man with bright blonde hair stood beside a gorgeous woman with lusciously brown curls cascading around her face and over her shoulders. Both were dressed in bright, regal robes. In front of them stood a white-blonde baby boy, only a few years old. His father's hand rested on his shoulder whether from pride or to hold the boy in place, Eri couldn't tell. The boy's young face held the delicate features of his mother with ease. The entire family was beautiful.

Eri turned back and walk towards Fornax. His tail flicked back and forth. He was still annoyed that she wouldn't let him out, but he allowed her to pet him. She ran her fingers through his coarse fur. "I miss him, too," she said softly. There was a dull ache in her chest; there was always an ache when she thought of him. Fornax began to purr, which sounded a lot like grinding due to his size. "He promised to come back when he found what he was looking for. He'll be back soon, I know it." Eri said this more for her own comfort than Fornax's. The letters that normally arrived ever few weeks had ceased and the two of them had been met with only silence for months. Eri was worried that something terrible had happened, but there was no way to know for sure unless it was reported in the news somewhere. She'd sent an owl at the end of the last school year and had yet to hear a response. It would be useless, maybe even dangerous, to send more.

She sighed. "Let's find you some dinner, yeah?" Fornax swished his tail once more. Eri let herself grin, trying to lighten the mood. "You'll never believe what I saw today," she said while rummaging around in the pantry. "A bowtruckle, can you imagine? How many people can say they've seen one in person? And so close to home." Fornax remained silent, but the way his eyes followed Eri as she cooked and how his ears pointed and flicked gave the impression that he was listening thoroughly.

"I finally had enough time to go along that trail I told you about. It gave me a chance to practice that new silencing spell, too. I don't even think the bugs knew I was with them. But, if a bowtruckle lives in that tree, it makes me wonder if fairies are around there as well. I'll draw a picture of the little thing when I write about it and show you. Of course, you probably knew they were around here, yeah?" She cut a glance at the cat. He flicked an ear and licked his lips. "I figured you might've. I really do wonder if anyone else knows what's out there. Not the muggles, obviously, but I'm sure I've read somewhere that wiggentrees are used in potions."

Eri turned back to the food, charming a spoon to stir whatever concoction she had brewing on the old stove. She continued talking about interesting bowtruckle facts, knowing fully well that Fornax was more magic than cat and probably knew all of it firsthand. Still, he listened, even happier to do so when Eri poured dinner onto a plate and placed it in front of him. With a wave of her wand, she had everything cleaned and putting itself away as she leaned against the counter beside Fornax to eat. She continued talking to Fornax, telling him about her worries with work and with affording her school supplies. She even discussed the anxieties she had about the N.E.W.T.s coming up in the new school year. Her palms got sweaty just thinking about it again.

"I mean, I know I _know_ all the spells we've covered and those I've read about outside of the classroom. I know I can successfully do all of the spells. I'm just worried I'll forget which spell counteracts another and so on. I feel like I'm going to get them jumbled up." Eri shuddered again. "Maybe I should just practice more. I can spend all year practicing. I'll probably have to." Fornax responded by licking his plate clean and then licking his lips and paws.

Eri imagined herself in the library at Hogwarts, reading book after book on spells as she chewed. She could see herself out by the Black Lake practicing whatever spells came to mind at the time. The thought of a lake suddenly brought back images of the black haired wizard she'd seen earlier. "How could I forget," she mumbled, thinking about the boy and his original spell. "Fornax, did you know there was a wizard living nearby?" She looked at the cat. Fornax made a sound halfway between a purr and mew. She made a face at him. "Why didn't you tell me before now? You know how bad things could have ended up if any of them saw me? I know I'm not well-known at school or anything, but you know how those in the house can be. You've heard how some of them whisper about the muggles. They think them little more than animals. To find out I worked with them, that I take orders from and served them…" Eri shook her head. "I could honestly be in danger."

Fornax flicked his tail, annoyed again. "I know, I know… I'm over thinking it, you wouldn't let that happen, Rider wouldn't have left me with that kind of risk when he got me the job at the pub, but…" Fornax interrupted with a soft growl—a warning. Eri frowned. "Yeah, well, it's hard for me to put my trust in someone that can't even tell us if he's alive," she said sharply.

The cat, clearly upset by Eri's comment, hissed at her before jumping off the counter and bolting out of the room. Eri, truly alone now, exhale noisily before placing both elbows on the counter and burying her face in her hands. Her eyes stung as they watered, but she wouldn't cry. She was tired of crying over Rider and wondering endlessly what could have possibly happened to him. She took a few deep breaths, steadying herself as best she could before putting the plates in the sink and leaving the kitchen. She stopped at the portrait on her way to the stair case, and looked up at the blonde boy's face. Her hand was drawn to it, edging closer and closer to one of his plushy, pink cheeks. A blur of fur, swishing along, caught her eye and she froze, a mere inch from the boy's face, before withdrawing her hand. She looked around the room for Fornax, but he was gone and she was alone again. "I'm sorry, Fornax. I shouldn't have made a comment like that," she called out. Once more she looked at the cherub face of the young boy. "He'll come back. He promised." The words came out as a whisper once again for her own comfort. As much as her heart ached, she had to believe he'd come back. A few moments more and she turned away, shaking her head. She'd put Rider out of her head, yet again. Too much was about to start happening for her to worry about him anymore.

She climbed the steps to her room, suppressing the guilt bubbling in her gut. Her heart hurt, but her brain was still working, and she knew that no matter what, Rider would want her to carry on, handle her business, do what needs to be done, and live her life whether he was alive or not. She knew it and that's what she'd do. Even if Fornax was angry about it, he had to know that's exactly why Rider left him with her.

 _The house was still for a long time after Eri fell asleep. In the study down the hall from her room, a black, furry mass perched on the windowsill, looking out at the main street. Fornax sat unmoving— watching. The hair on the back of his neck prickled and stood up. Out on the street, a wrought iron light shone brightly. Partial shrouded in the shadows underneath sat a fox, equally still. It wasn't possible, of course, for an ordinary fox to see a house hidden by the Fidelius Charm, yet there it sat, staring up at the exact place the house should have been. Fornax's left ear twitched ever so slightly, almost positive that the fox was staring, not just at the house, but at the bright, amber eyes peering into the night from the second floor._

 _Together they sat like this for the better half of the night. No movement or sound until the sky started to grow light. Before the first few honeyed rays could break over the horizon, the fox stood abruptly. The next moment it was gone, trotting away from the house into neighboring yards and zigzagging between buildings. Fornax sat for a few moments more, watching the fox until it was completely out of sight, before letting out a yawn. The fox would be back, of course, under the light, as still as could be, looking up at a house that wasn't really there, just as it had been every night for a fortnight._

 _He hopped down from the sill and padded towards Eri's room. In one motion he was on the bed, burying himself in the blankets at the small of her back. Eri didn't notice._

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Let me know what you think, what you like/don't like, what I am missing, etc... Feel free to review or send me messages. More chapters to follow and my hope is that this will only get better.

-LadyGhoul


	2. Fat Pauly's

"Lass, get that man a cuppa an' a biscuit, will you? Been badgering Mag fer a good minute about another round," Fat Pauly motioned with his head at the older gentleman in a tweed suit seated at a table on the far side of the bar. The man's pepper hair stuck up in different places and his suit was disheveled by booze-driven neglect. "Feel like the poor bloke's been 'ere since yesterday. Cut em off." Fat Pauly shook his head and dropped a serving of fries into bubbling oil. Sweat broke out over his brow, running down the sides of his face towards the collar of his stained, white shirt. Fat Pauly had built Fat Pauly's Pub in the middle of their little town several years ago and regularly had customers from in and out of the town. He was a large man, built like a bear, who spent almost every day serving food and drinks to those who came in. He had a way of using his size to keep even the most unruly customer in line. His wife, Mag, was a brutish woman that tended the bar with an iron fist, leaving Eri to bring food and drinks to those seated in the front of house.

Eri nodded and took the biscuits Fat Pauly had just plated. The old man swore under his breath when she placed it and the cup of tea in front of him. "I've ordered an ale, bloody broad. It's a pub for fuck's sake!"

She ignored his comment. "Fat Pauly says you've had enough, sir. If there's a problem, he'd like you to take it up with him."

The man swayed a bit in his seat and looked towards the small serving hatch between the kitchen and the bar. Fat Pauly lumbered towards the hatch and gave the man a hard look, silently challenging him to cause more trouble. The man, clearly no match for Fat Pauly, backed down and took a bite of biscuit. He was still muttering to himself when Eri walked away. She made it into the kitchen with no issue and grabbed her pre-packed dinner. Her stomach rumbled loudly. "I'm going to take my dinner break now, if that's okay," she said, holding up the bag. Fat Pauly looked at her and then out to the front of house. Aside from the old man and two middle-aged women sitting at the bar talking with Mag, no one new had come in for almost an hour. He grunted and shrugged. She took her dinner and went through the back door to sit outside.

The sunlight was blinding compared to the dim innards of the pub and Eri had to squint just to see. She allowed herself a yawn before settling down on the steps and taking a sandwich from her bag. She didn't care much for the rest of the people here or even the town itself, but she did like Fat Pauly and Mag a lot. Mag had grown a soft spot for Rider, like most people do, back when he was around and frequented the pub. That's the reason Eri had the job in the first place— Rider had smooth-talked Mag into giving Eri the spot.

She chewed her sandwich in silence, content with listening to birds chirping and the buzz of cicadas and locusts enjoying the last of August's heat. She munched through the rest of her sandwich, wondering about the bowtruckle she had seen two weeks ago and if it was still doing well. There was muffled chiming from inside the pub signaling the end of her break. A new customer would be inside and she would need to be back on the floor. Eri took the last bite of her sandwich and dusted breadcrumbs off. With one last look around the back and a deep breath of fresh air, she opened the door and went back inside. The smell of ale and grease hit her like a wall. From the hatch Eri could see that a tall lady, nothing but skin and bone, was looking around for a place to sit. She wore an ankle-length, black dress and her face was hidden by a rather large and peculiarly billowing, black hat.

Mag's face appeared suddenly in the hatch. "Oi! Y'know who that is, yea?" She was talking to Fat Pauly but looked at Eri as well.

Fat Pauly stepped away from the stove and wiped his hands on the dirty apron tied around his beer-gut. He squinted while he watched the woman take the booth closest to the door and sit facing the bar. "That looks like ol' Eileen," he said gruffly.

"Innit?" Mag said, looking astonished. "Ye don't think Tobias will show 'is face 'ere, do ye?"

"Can't say," Fat Pauly said. He looked at Mag then back towards the woman. "Strange fam'ly, that one is. Use'ta be a good man, Tobias was." Fat Pauly shook his head and stepped away from the hatch. Mag shrugged and waddled away to tend to the women at the bar. "Best get to 'er then, lass," Fat Pauly said with his back to Eri.

She nodded and pushed through the door separating the kitchen from the bar. Mag watched her as she picked up a menu from the edge of the counter, straightened her apron and walked towards the lady in black. Eri knew a great number of townsfolk, all muggles of course, but she had never heard of an Eileen, nor had she ever seen Mag and Fat Pauly riled up about someone. The whole thing made her a little nervous.

She cleared her throat, trying to shake off her nerves, and put on her best welcoming smile. "Good evening, ma'am. Can I get you a drink?"

The woman, Eileen, looked up as Eri placed the small menu on the table. Eri could see her face clearly now. She had bushy, thick eyebrows, pasty skin, and a long, narrow face framed by straight, lengthy black hair. Her cheekbones jutted out sharply, giving her a soured and angry natural look. There were deep purple bags under her eyes and it looked as though she may have recently been crying. She stared at Eri for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. Unlike her face, her voice was soft and sweet. "Water, please."

"Will you be eating anything," Eri asked, trying hard to match the tone of Eileen's voice.

"No, thank you," Eileen said gently. "However, my son should be joining me momentarily. He may want to order."

Eri nodded and told Eileen she would be right back with her drink. Eileen said nothing back and Eri made her way back to the bar.

Mag saddled up to her instantly. "Did she say anythin'? What does she want," she whispered harshly.

"Just a water," Eri said. She took a glass from behind the bar and filled it. A moment more and she was back at Eileen's table, setting the glass down carefully. Eileen thanked her and assured her there was nothing else Eri needed to do for the time being, so Eri left Eileen to her own devices. She had just stopped to check on the old, drunken gentlemen when the tiny bell over the door chimed. Eri figured it was probably the son Eileen had mentioned.

The energy in the room changed instantaneously.

"So," came a deep voice. "This is where you've run off to, eh?" Eri turned to see a scrawny, tall, brown haired man with a crooked nose standing in front of Eileen. He looked very drunk already and his clothes were discolored and ill-fitting— easily two sizes too big for his thin frame. It was easy to see that he could have once been very handsome, had he not taken to massive amounts of alcohol and if aging had been more kind. "Is this where you're hiding the boy, huh? Is he in the back somewhere?" His voice was loud and everyone in the building had fallen silent. Eileen was looking down at her lap and the shadow of her hat covered her entire face.

This only seemed to escalate the situation. The man's face started to burn and a vein in his forehead had begun to swell. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, you worthless bitch," he roared. He slammed his palms down on the table causing the whole room to jump and the glass Eri had just brought to tip over. Water ran across the table and into Eileen's lap. She leapt to her feet in both terror and surprise and the man took advantage of this. He grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled her out from behind the table, causing her to cry out in pain and her hat to fall off. "You'll tell me where the damn boy is! I made it clear that the next time he was caught—,"

"Now, yer lissen 'ere, Tobias Snape." Mag rounded the corner of the bar, wielding an empty bottle. "Yer not gonna come in ter my pub acting this way. Wha'cher doing is inappropriate and yer be leaving right now or so help me God and 'is son, I swear on my dead mum's bosom I'll conk ye one!"

The man, Tobias, looked at Mag before swearing loudly. "You will not tell me how to handle my family affairs, pub wench. I'll do as I damn well please!"

At this, Fat Pauly moved faster than Eri had ever seen. In a moment he was around the bar and on the floor, pulling Mag away since, as she swore, she was rearing for a fight. "Tobias, ye better let 'er go b'fore I make ye. Leave or I'll pick ye up by the scruff of yer neck in front of God an' ev'ryone else an' throw ye out myself," Fat Pauly said in a gruff, threatening voice.

Eileen whimpered in his grasp. "Tobias, please."

"Shut up, bloody muppet," he hissed at her. "I'll deal with you later." Luckily, in his drunken haze, he was more concerned with Fat Pauly's threats than Eileen. He threw her down to the ground in one movement, letting her hair go, and stepped towards Fat Pauly. "If you touch me, I'll call the authorities, I will," Tobias said. "I'll leave when I find that damned, useless son of mine."

Fat Pauly stuck out his chest, more than willing to meet Tobias' challenge. Fat Pauly towered over the man and was easily four times as wide. "I'll dial the number me-self. Tell em all about this rumpus yer causin'."

Behind Eileen, the door opened and a boy with long, jet black hair and sallow skin walked in, unaware of what was currently unraveling. Eri knew immediately that this had to be the missing son. He was built exactly like his mother, but carried the softer facial features and the crooked nose of his father. Eri noticed his mismatched and ill-fitting cloths and her stomach turned. This was definitely the boy who'd been practicing magic at the lake. He was most definitely everything Eri had feared: a fellow seventh year student and housemate, and here were his parents, fighting in the middle of her pub. She didn't have time to dwell on it, though, because at the same time Eri recognized Severus Snape and he recognized her, Tobias had made a jump for him.

"Wretched twat," yelled Tobias as he hurdled towards the boy, knocking over a table in his rage. Fortunately, Fat Pauly was more than ready. He scooped Tobias Snape up by his underarms and lifted him off the ground. Mag was quick to Eileen's side, helping her stand and gathering her hat.

"Take yer mum an' run, boy," she said and she handed Eileen off. Severus stood frozen to the spot for a moment, watching his father struggle against Fat Pauly's grip and yelled obscenities. "Go, boy!"

Without further hesitation, Severus put his mother's arm over his shoulder and was out the door, quickly disappearing. Tobias was screaming all kinds of crazy, half-baked insults at them far after they were gone. Fat Pauly told Mag to call the authorities anyway and they could deal with a crazed and drunken Tobias. Eri wished more than anything that she could curse this awful man, but knew something like that would get her expelled for sure. Now that Severus knew she worked in the pub, however, she wasn't sure it would be all that bad to get expelled.

Once Fat Pauly felt that Severus and Eileen had had plenty of time to put enough distance between and the authorities would be minutes away, he dropped Tobias, who crumpled to the ground like paper. Eri being suddenly very aware that if Tobias was also a wizard, he could very well hex them all. The thought of him cursing Fat Pauly or Mag made Eri's heart race and she wondered if she could draw her wand from the elastic band of her pants fast enough to stop him. She knew very well that Severus was a part of the group that prided themselves on their hate for muggles and this could very easily be a family trait, shared by all the Snapes.

Something made her think maybe that wasn't the case. The way Eileen had spoken so kind and sweet to her told her that if Eileen thought Eri a muggle, she clearly didn't share the same hate as other wizarding purebred, Slytherin families did. And Severus, like herself, was a student. A good one at that. She couldn't see him risking expulsion for harming muggles that had just helped him escape his nasty father. Maybe, just maybe, this meant he wouldn't mention her working for muggles to any of his disgusting friends either, and all the painstakingly tedious work Eri had done to keep her secret safe wouldn't be all in vain.

Fortunately, Eri didn't need to draw her wand. Tobias was passed out from the alcohol moments after hitting the ground and calming down. Everyone sat in silence, trying to process what had just happened, while the officers took Tobias away and got a statement from Fat Pauly and Mag. Once they were all gone, Fat Pauly lumber slowly to the overturned table and sat it upright. He muttered something about how a night in jail was just the kind of sobering up Tobias needed. The older man rose shakily from his seat to pay his bill and scurried out. The women at the bar figured now was as good a time as any to close their tabs and call it a day. Mag took their money while Fat Pauly made his way back to the kitchen. Eri made quick work of gathering the overturned glass and cleaning the spilt water before following after Fat Pauly. She found him scrubbing the stove with half a lemon and a washcloth.

Eri stood awkwardly aside, unsure of what to say or do.

"Ye know," Fat Pauly started. "I grew up with Tobias. Ev'n went to school with em." Eri didn't respond. "Tobias wasser good kid, 'e was. Upstanding lad, too, when 'e got older. Not a thing wrong with em, at least not 'til af'er 'e married that strange woman." Fat Pauly kept scrubbing as he talked. "Sommat must've changed. All I know is that she ended up pregnant soon af'er the wed'in and I reckon the bottle became 'is mistress around the time the boy was born." More silence passed between them. Fat Pauly scrubbed a little longer before wiping his hands on his apron again and turning to face Eri.

"Go 'ead on 'ome, lass," he said, finally turning around to face her. "Yer done good and I know yer off ter school in the morn." Eri, not yet finding her voice, nodded and turned towards the back door. "Take this with ye." Eri looked over her shoulder. Fat Pauly held a white envelope in his large, meaty hands. "It's what I owe ye fer yer work 'ere, an' a li'le extra as thanks fer yer help o'er the years."

Eri took the envelope, but protested. "You don't have to do that. I'm the one that should be thankful you've let me have a job!"

Fat Pauly shook his head. "Mag an' I are proud of ye. Ye work hard, ye do a good job, an' we know it's been rough for ye. It's not much at all, so don't worry yer 'ead o'er it. We don't 'ave any kids ter spoil anyways, so yer 'ave to do."

Before she could stop herself she was hugging Fat Pauly, grease, sweat and all. He seemed taken aback for a moment, but gave in and returned the hug. Eri realized just how much she would miss the two of them when she was gone. "Do well, lass, an' we'll see ye next year."

Eri blinked away the tears she felt swimming in her eyes, smiling at the big man in front of her before turning to leave once more. She walked down the steps and started towards her house, trying hard not to think about what she was feeling or what had happened. She made it all the way home without incident, but the moment she enter the house she broke into sobs. Fornax found her straightaway and rubbed up against her, softly mewing as if to comfort her. It didn't help as much as he would have liked. She felt so guilty about leaving the pub without giving Fat Pauly or Mag a proper explanation. She could imagine them on the second day of next summer, smiling and chatting with each other while they open the pub, expecting Eri to show up half past nine as she had every year since she was hired. But, she hadn't the heart to tell Fat Pauly that there was a good chance she probably would never come home again, much less work for them. She knew Fat Pauly would be heartbroken. He'd just called her something akin to "the daughter he'd never been able to have," and she was leaving the only parental figures she'd ever known without so much as real goodbye. She hated herself for it. This was the same thing her biological parents had done to her and she hated them for it, too.

It was almost dawn before she'd cried herself out and fallen asleep. In no time at all, Fornax would have to wake her. She'd need to be at King's Cross Station and on the train by 11 o'clock on the dot.

* * *

As always, thank you for reading. This has been my favorite chapter to write so far. More on the way.

-LadyGhoul


	3. Mutual Destruction

It was raining. Pouring, really.

Eri watched from across the street as multitudes of people scurried along near the entrance of King's Cross station in an attempt to stay dry. Some ducked inside the weatherworn, brick arches. Others shuffled towards shops or cafes. No one took any notice of the drenched young witch standing on the corner with a large, rustic trunk in one hand and a rather large purse. A sopping wet monstrosity of a cat head stuck out of one side.

Fornax gave a low rumble in protest, as he was quite unhappy with his current situation. Eri looked down at him with pursed lips. "Fornax, please," she shushed him. "We'll be on the train in a moment. Do try to behave!" The cat hissed, upset by his dripping fur and Eri's tone, before withdrawing his head into the safety of the purse. With a final look around, making sure the streets were clear and no one was paying too much attention to her, Eri crossed the street and started for Platform 9 ¾.

The train station bustled, alive with those coming and going from all over. Muggles of all shapes and sizes were consumed with their own lives and trying to find their own trains that no one looked twice at Eri. However, Eri looked at each and every one of them. She took note of every single person she passed as she walked, observing types of clothing, listening for new words or slang to use, even watching children's games being played as families waited impatiently for their train. When she was younger, before she got her Hogwarts letter or even knew that she could do magic, Rider had explained that the best way to understand something or someone, was to jump right in, do what they do, learn what they learn, love the way they love. He'd always emphasized the importance of understanding muggles, not just because they lived in close proximity, but because they should be valued on their own. It was then that Eri started watching and listening. It wasn't until she got to Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin that she realized not all witches and wizards feel the same about non-magic folk, and also learned that not all muggles took well to the thought of magic. As she got older, she realized that this watching game would be her way of fitting in, of being safe. No one would ever suspect her of anything if she looked and acted like them. Now, of course, she watched out of habit as both muggle and magic was second nature to her.

That didn't stop the exhilarating feeling that made her entire body tingle every time she rushed through the brick wall between Platforms 9 and 10, crossing the barrier between muggle and magic territory. This also didn't stop the tug in her heart when she realized this could be the last time she'd step onto the platform and board the Hogwarts Express that waited patiently in scarlet majesty for students. The Platform buzzed with parents and children talking, laughing, kissing, even some crying. With no one to see her off, Eri put her head down and made her way to the train. She was almost there too, before someone's father took an unexpected step back causing Eri to sidestep and collide with someone and drop her trunk.

"Oh, my apologies, truly," Eri started, bending down quickly to grab her trunk handle. "I didn't... Are you—" Eri looked up at the person she'd accidentally hit.

Eileen Snape stood brooding in front of her. She was still wearing the ankle-length black dress from the day before. Her face was natural sullen and sour, framed by her long, black hair, and hidden under shadows cast by her billowing hat. She recognized Eri just the same. Neither said anything for a moment. Then, to Eri's surprise, Eileen smiled. The unusual action made her eyes look even sadder than normal and accented the deep purple bags underneath. She reached out with long, spindly fingers and put her hand on Eri's shoulder for a split second before walking away, her dress swishing with each step.

Eri watched, standing in the middle of the platform awkwardly until she could no longer see Eileen. She wondered if that meant Severus was already on the train. She also wondered if Tobias had really spent the night in a cell or just hated them both too much to join in seeing their son off. Either way, the conductor called out the time causing the crowd to shift and Eri was taken along with it. Several hisses erupted from the purse on her arm as Fornax was jostled around violently by those around them.

Once on the train and out of the sea of people, Eri could breathe normally again. As she had for the last six years, she made her way towards the end of the train in hopes of grabbing one of the last compartments. Once settled in, she would let Fornax out to do as he pleased and she'd change into her school robes. Perhaps, Eri thought as she walked, since Fat Pauly and Mag had given her more money than she had originally planned, she could splurge a little on the trolley. She normally exchanged her muggle money at Gringotts before she shopped for school supplies, then she would put just about all of the excess in a vault, keeping only a little spending money for a trip or two to Hogsmeade. Since Rider had left her and Fornax alone with no signs of returning in the near future, if ever, Eri thought it best to be as frugal as possible, despite the tiny fortune he'd left her access to. But, she'd worked hard all summer and supposed a small treat would be a reasonable reward to herself. She was so distracted by the mouth-watering thought of a pumpkin pasty or cauldron cake, she didn't realize someone was following very close behind her.

So close, in fact, that in one swift motion, the person was able to pull Eri into an empty compartment by the back of her shirt. Eri lost control of her trunk and purse, dropping both as she stumbled and fell into one of the seats. Fornax, startled and agitated, sprung from the purse and bolted out of the room and down the corridor. The door slammed the door shut and the lock clicked behind them.

"What in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing," Eri said, rubbing her head which was now throbbing from smacking into the train's window. She winced from the pain. "For fuck's sake…" She got to her feet clumsily. Once her eyes were open, she instantly found herself facing the tip of a wand.

"I've been thinking all night about how to hex you," came a deep, drawn out voice beyond the wand. Eri's wide-eyed expression only seemed to drive the voice on. "I figured it'd be best to let you decide what punishment would be fitting if you were to speak of what you witnessed yesterday. Bone, isn't it? Eridana?"

Eri tried to take a step back, but hit her trunk instead. "Oy!" She lost her footing and fell backwards, hitting her head on the far wall of the compartment again. "Sonovabitch," she groaned loudly, gripping the back of her head. Severus Snape watched, wand drawn and at the ready. He was still in the previous day's clothes like his mother had been, and his shoulder-length, black hair had a day's worth of oily build up. Eri thought for a moment that maybe he was joking since, after all, Fat Pauly and Mag had more or less saved him and his mother from Tobias, but another look at the cross expression on his face said otherwise. "Oh, put your wand away, you git."

Severus continued, stepping over Eri's trunk so that he could tower over her. "So, what will it be? How shall I ensure you never speak a word about what happened in that pub. Do you understand, Eridana? I will not have you ruining everything by running you mouth about my insolent, disgrace of a muggle father, you hear me?"

Eri rose to her feet in fury. "I said put your wand away, bloody idiot, I'll tell whoever I damn well please if I fancy! And if you _ever_ shove me around like that I swear by Merlin's beard _I_ will hex _you_ so bad they'll never put you right again. I won't think twice about it!" Eri huffed angrily, drawing her own wand and pointing it at him in a single motion. He took a step back in surprise, but didn't lower his wand. A few seconds past before Eri fully processed what he'd said. "Hang on. Did you say your muggle father?"

"Of course, you fool, keep up!" Severus' voice came out as a sneer. The puzzled look on Eri's face made him swear. "Are you telling you me you really had no idea? You can't be serious."

Eri shook her head. "I thought you of all people would be pureblood, since, you know, your lot of muggle-haters like to prattle on about it and all."

"That's the point!" The anger in his voice moments before turned into pure desperation. Severus' eyes pleaded to Eri and he looked more like a child than a budding man. "They can't know! No one can know! If they found out…" His voice trailed off. "There would be… consequences. And I will not put my mother through anymore hardships!"

This caught Eri off guard. Again, there was silence between them as the pieces began to fall into place for her. "Your mum," Eri started quietly. Without looking at Severus, she tucked her wand away and sat down on one of the padded train seats. "Your mum seems like a very sweet woman."

"I'll protect her with my life, I swear it," Severus started. The desperation in his voice was gone and he was irate once more.

"Settled down," Eri snapped. "And put your blasted wand away for the last bloody time." It took a moment, but Severus seemed to calm down a little. His wand dropped an inch or two. "There's no need to curse me. I won't tell anyone."

Severus made a face. "I clearly don't believe you," he said crossly.

Eri sighed. "Untwist your knickers for a minute, will you," she said as she gripped the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. Her head was still pounding. "I won't tell. I swear." Severus scoffed. "I have a deal to propose instead."

This seemed to catch Severus' attention. He let his wand hand drop as he considered her words. "And just what kind of deal would that be?"

Eri gestured for him to sit and waited until he did so. Seven years of careful planning, plotting, and tediously calculating risks had all lead up to the events of yesterday. Her fears had festered all at once and now, due to the rash actions of the boy in front of her, she had an opening. "From what I can tell, we both have something to loose here." Severus raised a thick eyebrow as he listened. She fought through the pulsing pain in her head in order to craft her plan carefully. "You have a reputation to uphold. I understand that. The unique… attitude of our dear house can be daunting at times. Now, I saw your family make a rather unflattering appearance in a muggle pub. More so, I have now been made aware of the fact that you're not exactly pure-blood royalty like the rest of your friends."

Severus' furrowed his brow. "Get on with it," he said through clenched teeth.

"Shut up and bloody listen!" Eri's temper flared up again and she had to take a moment to calm back down. She cleared her throat "Listen. You happened to see some things yourself in that pub. Things that could be disastrous for me if word got out, understand? You saw me. Apron on and all. In a muggle's pub. See what I'm getting at?" Realization seemed to dawn on Severus' face, but Eri continued before he could speak. "So, I would really like it if you would also never speak of what you saw, as things could get messy if the other members of our house found out that I had to serve muggles over the summer to survive. More so, I happen to care about the family that owns that pub a great deal and I do not want any pompous, self-righteous prat getting it in their heads to cause them harm." The thought of something happening to Fat Pauly and Mag because of her made her eyes sting. Guilt bubbled in her stomach once again and she had to look away. "They're the closest things to parents I've ever had and I would be willing to protect them with my life, muggle or not." She could feel Severus' dark eyes on her, but she couldn't look up with hers watering the way they were. Several moments passed by and the only sound was that of other students shuffling in and out of the surrounding compartments and talking to one another as they passed the door. Eri took a few deep breaths to try and steel herself for his response.

She made a quick silent plea to whatever might be listening that he'd accept and she'd be safe, then raised her head. Severus seemed deep in thought for a second, turning ideas over in his own head before standing up so fast it caused Eri to jump. His voice was barely audible. "We have a deal."

The next moment, he was unlocking the door and pulling it open.

A boy and a girl were standing in the hall. The boy had his hand raised, poised as if he were just about to knock. They both had rich, sun-kissed skin and were identical in every way accept hair length: hers being a short, pixie cut, and his scruffy and sticking up in odd places. Severus paused just long enough for them to realize who he was. "Sorry! We were only looking for—," the boy started. Snape was passed them and striding down the hallway before he had a chance to finish his sentence. The boy and girl who were clearly related watched Severus slip away before noticing that someone was still in the compartment.

"Eri!" Both faces lit up when they saw her. They were clearly clueless that a severe situation had just occurred. Instead, they invited themselves in just as the train gave a last whistle and lurched forward.

The girl started first. "Castor and I have been looking all over for you!"

The boy, Castor, followed immediately. "We went straight to the back like usual and didn't find you, but Phoebe said she was positive she saw you on the Platform so I thought we might as well start working our way to the front then." He took his trunk, hoisted it up onto the railings, and secured it above the seat opposite Eri. "Was that Fornax we saw earlier?"

Phoebe did the same, tucking her trunk and an empty owl cage she'd been carrying away. She wasted no time at all getting to a new conversation topic. "That was Severus, wasn't it? Severus Snape?"

Phoebe and Castor were both seventh year students. Eri had met Phoebe at the Sorting ceremony her first year at Hogwarts. Phoebe ended up in the seat next to Eri at the Slytherin table and immediately started up a conversation. Even though Eri had said very little over dinner, by the time they'd made it down into the dungeon and to the girls' dorm, Phoebe had decided they would be the best of friends and was even set up next to the Eri's bed. Eri, still new to both magic and Hogwarts, thought it best to make good on friendship offers where she could and went with it. Something about Phoebe seemed genuine and kind, which contrasted heavily with most of the others in their house and Eri liked that. Not to mention that Eri found Phoebe to be extremely gorgeous and Phoebe's personality pulled her in. Eri became friends with Castor, Phoebe's twin brother that had been sorted into Ravenclaw their first night, by extension.

"When did you two become friends?" Phoebe sat down and looked at Eri expectantly. Castor also made himself comfortable. Things outside of their compartment were beginning to settle down now that the train was moving. Eri stood, grabbed her trunk, and began stowing it away in an attempt to avoid the conversation.

"Frankly, I didn't think the bloke was one for having friends," Castor said with a smirk.

Phoebe made a face. "Hush up will you!" She then turned back to Eri. "So, tell us! What was he doing in your compartment? Is he a secret admirer or something?"

Castor snorted. "Maybe Eri just decided she fancied this compartment and threatened to hex him if he didn't let her have it. I've seen her Furnunculus Curse and it's the stuff nightmares are made of. Better yet," he said, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees. "Maybe _she_ fancies _him_."

The possibility of this seemed to excite Phoebe. "Is this true? I've always thought he was a bit odd, but I've heard the other girls talk and some of them seem a little smitten by him. Now that I've gotten a good look at him I guess he is somewhat handsome, isn't he? In a gloomy kind of way."

"Handsome in a don't-cross-me-or-I'll-murder-your-owl kind of way, you mean," Castor said.

Phoebe ignored him. "It's nothing to be ashamed of if you _have_ taken a liking to him. He's brilliant and it seems that several of the girls have thought about it."

"Brilliantly mental," Castor said.

"It was nothing, really. I'd sat down and was trying to get comfortable. He didn't notice I was already seated before he shut the door. There were a few words exchange and he left. Hardly anything to get worked up about," Eri said finally, putting her head against the cool windowpane and closing her eyes. "I've got an awful headache. I need to rest a minute."

She didn't see Phoebe give Castor a concerned look. Castor only shrugged. They sat quietly until the trolley witch arrived. Castor always got several treats and this time was no different.

"Anything from the trolley, dears," she looked at Phoebe then Eri. Phoebe shook her head.

Eri's headache was starting to subside by this point and she remembered the extra money she had. After the events earlier, she told herself that she most definitely deserved treats. Four or five sweets later and she was more than ready to catch up. The previous tension and stress of the day slowly dissipated.

It was dark by time they reached their destination. The storm had turned into a small scale hurricane at that point. Students were herded towards the castle through various means by a somewhat young, large, hairy man known as Rubeus Hagrid. As always, the student body discussed the appearance of the gamekeeper, as several rumors surrounded his history. There had even been complaints from parents over the years who were concerned with the fact he still worked at Hogwarts despite the bases for his expulsion several years before. Eri didn't care much for the rumors. As far as she could tell, Hagrid had been nothing by kind to everyone he'd been in contact with and he cared deeply for the creatures that lived across the grounds. She'd even caught Fornax snuggling up to him more than once and Eri was positive he knew exactly what Fornax was. If the beast approved, there was no reason for Eri to be concerned.

Soon all the students, robes soaking wet and clinging to their bodies, made their way into the Great Hall. They all immediately began separating into their separate houses. Phoebe gave Castor a quick hug before he split off to join the other Ravenclaws. She and Eri made their way to the far right table where the other Slytherins had gathered. Eri found herself entranced by the stormy ceiling above, but was pulled back by Phoebe nudging her as they walked. "Look," she whispered. "There's Severus at the end. He's with Wilkes and Rosier. You know that lot will probably end up as Death Eaters for You-Know-Who."

Eri didn't look but got the weird feeling that there were eyes on her. She had no idea who "You-Know-Who" was, being severely disconnected from most new updates from this world a majority of the time, but she figured Phoebe would fill her in eventually. They found a seat near the end of the table. There were greetings from the less reclusive members of the house before the first years started filing in led by Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house. Eri could see Professor Slughorn, the head of Slytherin house, at the front of the chatting energetically room to the tiny charms instructor, Professor Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw. She tapped Phoebe on the shoulder to get her attention. "We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

Phoebe grimaced. "I wonder what happened to that poor bloke Kench." Eri shrugged. They were having the same thought. A new professor the same year they had the N.E.W.T.s to prepare for probably wouldn't end well. "Have to hope Professor Dumbledore knows what he's doing." Eri agreed and glanced up at the High Table. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore sat in a large chair directly in the center of the table. His eyes caught the light in a way that made it seem like they had a twinkle to them. The replacement professor was round and stout, seated at the far end of the table. Eri could see his feet dangling inches above the floor. He had bright orange hair that stuck out from under a bowler hat and he twitched in a horribly nervous fashion. She wasn't sure exactly how well this man would fare in a true duel, but she hoped he'd be proficient enough in a classroom setting for the seventh years to get by mostly unscathed.

The Sorting ceremony began shortly after. Professor McGonagall started down the long list of first year names, placed the hat on each little head that popped up on the stool, and sent them off to their respective houses. Of course, Eri and Phoebe cheered loudly for any newcomers sorted into Slytherin. When McGonagall called out the last name and the last little one scampered off to join those at the Hufflepuff table, Professor Dumbledore stood up and made his way to his podium. All eyes should have been on him, but Eri had the sinking feeling that she was still being watched. She risked a glance down the table. No one was paying any attention to her. Even Severus was turned and looking ahead. Even when Professor Dumbledore started his speech, the feeling continued. Eri tried to ignore it and focus on the start-of-term speech. Argus Quincypratt was the name of the new professor. She'd missed the rest of the information about him. She felt awful for him already, just thinking about all the jokes that would come of his name alone. Professor Quincypratt gave a jerky nod and a quick lift of his hat, reveling a rather prominent bald spot, at the end of his introduction. There were a few updates that Dumbledore quickly relayed and then finally lifted his hands in the air and commanded the feast to begin.

Food appeared instantly on the tables. The entire room erupted in conversation and delight, tucking in without hesitation. Phoebe started a conversation about whether or not Slytherin could win the House Cup again this year with a scrawny first year girl with glasses who'd sat across from them. Eri listened as intently as she could manage, but the hairs on her neck started to rise and she couldn't resist the urge to look around. Again, she looked in Severus' direction first to make sure it wasn't coming from him. She found his sallow face along the crowded table rather quickly.

He was staring hard at someone, alright, — scowling, really— but it definitely was not at her. She followed his eyes across the room to a red-headed Gryffindor girl with a bright, shiny Head Girl badge on the breast of her robes. The girl, whose name Eri didn't know, was laughing and rolling her eyes at the boys on either side and across the table from her. On one side of her was a handsome boy with thick, dark hair and a narrow face. On the other side was a boy with a strong chin, glasses, and messy, black hair. Eri couldn't see the faces of the other two. The one with glasses seemed hell-bent on keeping the girls attention. Eri looked back a Severus, but couldn't quite read his face. He must have also felt he was being watched because he took a bite of food and looked around. Eri quickly turned away, suddenly thankful that Phoebe was lost in conversation with someone else.

She rubbed the back of her neck and forced herself to eat at least some of the food in front of her. Dinner soon disappeared, replaced with an overflowing table of desserts. Students all around ate their fill until some started falling asleep in their seat. At that point, Dumbledore stood once more, waved his hands to clear the tables, and dismissed them all to their respective common rooms. A mass commotion occurred as students stood and exited the Great Hall. Phoebe grabbed Eri's arm and started talking about the password, _doxy pox_ , which she'd somehow learned during dinner. "Do you think it's real? Can someone catch it? Do you think it'd be contagious?"

Eri shrugged. She had never read anything about doxy pox, but figured there was a good chance that some kind of illness could be contracted if bitten enough, though it may not necessarily be a pox. This set Phoebe off again and she filled the entire walk down to the dungeon with talks of magical diseases. Eri tried hard to shake the sensation of being watched the entire walk, but it didn't go away until after they had slid behind the stone wall guarding the corridor down to the Slytherin common room. The girls branched off toward their dorm, leaving the boys to head in the opposite direction. Fornax was curled up on Eri's bed, dry, comfy, and half a size bigger due to the fluffing of his fur. He lifted his head slightly to look at Eri and the other girls as they came in. She sat down on the edge of the bed and attempted to smooth some of his fur down. All the girls gushed over the cat, making comments about how much it looked like he'd grown since last year, how beautiful the golden flecks in his fur were, and how well-mannered he was. The conversation soon turned to a variety of topics as the girls changed from damp school robes to dry pajamas and crawled into their beds. Eventually the chatter dwindled out and the girls found themselves being lolled to sleep by the warmth of their blankets and the food in their bellies.

 _Phoebe snored in her sleep, but none of the other girls noticed. They were all caught up in their own dreams. Fornax slipped out through his secret hole behind one of the wardrobes and crept soundlessly down the hallway and into the common room. Something shifted in one of the chairs by the fireplace causing Fornax to stop in his tracks. A dark haired boy sat in a high back chair, warming himself near the flames, holding a thick book in his hand. There was no indication he'd notice Fornax's presence in the least, but moments later there were footsteps in the hall. Fornax quickly ducked under an end table until the legs of the person past. The second boy gave off a scent as he passed so nasty that it made Fornax crinkle his nose. He had to resist hissing in disgust. The boy went and sat in the high backed chair across from the first. There was an odd smell radiating from him as well, but it was neither good nor bad to Fornax. Confused would have been the best word. Once the cat felt like the boys were distracted enough by whatever conversation they were staying up so late to have, he crept away and slipped out through another hole._

 _He made his way through the castle without any other interruptions. Without hesitation he climbed up and up, spiraling around the numerus staircases that would take him to the Astronomy Tower. Wiggling his way into the tower through cracks that seemed to appear out of thin air, he slunk across the floor and jumped up on one of the ledges. Down below he could see most of the grounds stretching all the way to the Forbidden Forest. He waited patiently for several minutes, stock still. His eyes were focused down below on the tree line. The rain continued to batter the castle, but Fornax didn't seem to mind. The trees swayed dangerously in the harsh winds and the rain only seemed to pick up over time, making it harder to see. So hard, in fact, that he almost missed what he'd been looking for._

 _At the edge of the forest, with its tail curled around its paws and soaked to the bone, sat a bright red fox simply waiting to be noticed. It took Fornax a minute, but he finally saw the red creature through the rain. Once more, they sat in a silent stalemate, eyes on each other until the sky started to grow light and the rain drizzled out. As the first ray of daylight broke across the Black Lake, reaching for the forest, the fox stood, keeping his eyes on the tower. Fornax remained seated, watching the fox carefully. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the fox was gone, having padded off into the deep shadows of the woods._

* * *

Thanks again for reading. More chapters on the way.

-LG


	4. Serpents and Lions

As always: happy reading.

* * *

Eri wished sincerely that she could postpone morning for several more hours as the girls in her room started to rise. Some were excited about the start of the year, chittering on about their classes, professors, friends, and getting to see a crush or two again. Others, like Eri, woke with dread about the devastating workload surely about to be dropped on their shoulders and the ever-looming presence of the N.E.W.T.s. Granted, if it really came down to it, she may not necessarily need N.E.W.T.s, but something in her wanted her wanted them and her extremely competitive streak wanted her to do well. Because of this, Castor always joked that she should have been in Ravenclaw and he should have been the first twin she befriended.

He wasn't wrong. The Sorting Hat had perched on her head that night mumbling to her and itself for quite some time. It had seen the aspects of Ravenclaw in her, and she acknowledged them as well, but in the end, it was Slytherin that won. Eri still wasn't entirely sure why that was. Beside her, Phoebe swung her long, deeply-tanned legs over the edge of her bed and ran fingers through her short, dark brown hair. Just how beautiful she looked made Eri's heart hurt. Phoebe noticed her staring and grinned wildly. "Last first day!" That made Eri's heart hurt too, but she smiled back as best she could. Phoebe jumped to her feet and wasted no time at all dressing. "I'm starved."

As much as it killed her to leave her warm bed in a time where school had not properly started and homework was not yet assigned, Eri pulled herself from her covers and slipped into her robes. The Great Hall was only partially full when the girls arrived. Students of all ages were coming and going as they pleased. Steaming breakfast foods and pastries covered all four tables. Phoebe led the way to their table, asking questions about foods, classes, and what Eri thought of the new professor, Quincypratt. She only stopped the flow of questions when she shoved a pumpkin oat and treacle muffin in her mouth. Eri took advantage of the break in conversation and took a bite of sausage. Some of the juice dribbled onto her chin.

Halfway through breakfast, a flutter of commotion caught their attention. The owls were coming in with the post. A large great horned owl with speckle-brown feathers landed between Eri and Phoebe and immediately began clicking its beak and pecking at the food, knocking over plates of scones and eggs. "Hoddy, please, just settle—," Phoebe started, trying desperately to grab at the parchment roll tied to one of the bird's legs. He managed to avoid her while kicking a glass of pumpkin juice out of an unsuspecting Slytherin fourth-year's hand. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry! I'll fix that for you in just a moment! Hoddypeak, settle down, you stupid, bloody bird!" She managed to get both arms around him. Eri reached for the scroll before Phoebe could lose her grip. Once Eri had the parchment in her hand, Phoebe released Hoddypeak, who took off immediately. She took a moment to gather herself and then sorted out the fourth year who seemed to be someone unsure of what had just happened to him. Eri handed her the roll, which turned out to be two bundled together. One addressed to Phoebe, one to Castor. Phoebe opened hers and read through it while Eri tried to salvage what food she could. "It's from my mum. She wanted to tell Castor and me good luck this year and wish us off before classes started. She could have just bloody said that at the train station. Merlin knows why she sent us Hoddypeak. She knows good and well that he hates having things tied to his feet. Useless thing, he is. She should have sent Albastus for us to use, but no. She says he's getting too old."

Eri didn't say anything, but watched as the rest of the owls flew in, dropped off whatever it was they had been made to bring, and flew back out of the Great Hall. Something inside of her was hoping to see the light colored barn owl Rider used to send, but she tried to force those thoughts and feelings out. There was no use getting her hopes up for something that could possibly never come. She needed to come to terms with the fact he could be gone for good. Didn't those words come out of his mouth the first night he left?

Phoebe interrupted her thought, unaware that anything was wrong. "This one is for Castor. I don't see him anywhere, and who knows if he'll make it down for breakfast in time or not. I'm not sure I'll see him before lunch."

"I should," Eri said. "We should have Divination together today."

"That's right! I forgot you were taking it, too. Castor spent almost all summer boasting about his 'Outstanding' in it." Phoebe rolled her eyes. "I was never any good at it but Castor thinks he's got "the Eye." Or at least, he says that's what Professor Brendalhorn told him. I think it's all a bunch of codswallop. Will you take this to him?" Eri agreed before suggested they might as well start back towards the dungeons for their first class.

Both stood, swinging their bags over their shoulder. Phoebe was in the middle of saying something about how awful she felt she was at potions, despite getting an E on her O.W.L.s. Eri, distractedly trying to comfort Phoebe and affirming how great an E was, stepped back away from the table and bumped into something behind her. "Oy! Pardon—," she turned, mid-apology. The scraggly, messy haired figure that was Severus Snape glared down at her before scurrying off in a twitchy manner, almost spider-like. He was out of earshot before she got the last word out. She looked at Phoebe, who could only shrug back. Eri looked back at the door Severus had disappeared through and raised an eyebrow. She pursed her lips. "He's a right git, that one," she said before starting the long walk back down to the dungeons.

Phoebe followed, both confused and amused. "I thought the two of you'd had a civil encounter yesterday?"

Eri had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Yeah, well, maybe he's just a moody brat. You can never quite tell with a short conversation." This seemed to be a sufficient enough answer for Phoebe and she dropped it.

The hallways down to the dungeon should have been relatively quiet, as most of the other house and students would be elsewhere in the castle, but a small group of Gryffindor students had decided to carry on to N.E.W.T.s level potions with Professor Slughorn and loudly cut-up behind the girls. Eri looked over her shoulder at them. It was the group from last night she'd noticed Severus staring at. Or, more so, gloomily scowling at. The girl with fire-red hair laughed with a coquettish trill at something the dark haired boy with glasses had said. Eri could see that the second black haired boy towered over the others and the smallest boy was round with light hair and twitched nervously. She noticed the last boy was almost sickly thin and had light scaring across his face.

"I wish they'd get the hint," Eri muttered to Phoebe, who nodded in response. They were forced to listen to the loud laughs and conversation going on behind them all the way to the class.

As always, the dungeons were dark and grungy. Professor Slughorn's room was lit by several thick candles scattered and floating about. Several tables were set around the room, facing the large mahogany desk near the far wall. The back of the room was covered in bookshelves and cabinets. Dark colored tapestries draped themselves across the ceiling. Slughorn stood at the door, hands rested on his protruding midsection, greeting everyone warmly and welcoming them back.

"Miss Penderghast, glad to have you," he said to Phoebe. He couldn't stop himself from grinning. "And Miss Bone. Always a pleasure." Eri gave him a small smile and followed Phoebe into the dim room. "Don't get too comfortable now, this year is going to be much different than the last. It is N.E.W.T.s level, after all!"

Something squirmed inside of Eri's stomach as she wondered just what Slughorn had in store for them. Eri looked around the room. A few other Slytherins were seated on the far side. She recognized Wilkes and Rosier at the table in the back, heads down and looking agitated. Phoebe nudged her and tipped her head in their direction. "Death Eater business, no doubt." Eri shrugged in return, still unsure of what that meant, and continued her survey of the class. The front row on the Slytherin side was taken by Severus, who was deeply engrossed in his copy of _Advanced Potions_. There were a few Slytherin girls at the table behind him. The other side of the room was scattered with Gryffindor students. All in all, it was a relatively small class as most of the students in the two houses had decided not to continue with potions. Eri and Phoebe opted for a table near the middle of the room.

From the door, Professor Slughorn cooed a greeting to the Gryffindors behind them. "Dear Miss Evans, I am thrilled you've returned! Mister Potter, I see you've chosen to join us yet again. Mister Black, how is Regulus? Working hard I suppose? Would have loved to have the set of you in my house, you know. Welcome, Mister Pettigrew. Mister Lupin. Enter, enter!" Eri turned slightly in her seat to see the group come in. From the corner of her eye, she could see Severus stir, almost jumping out of his seat. The Gryffindor group walked passed her table. She could hear the tallest one comment about having to share a room with Slytherin House.

"Would you look at that gents," the black haired Potter boy started haughtily. "Do my eyes deceive me or is that Snivellus?" The other boys in the group chuckled. They all took seats nearby. The red-head girl sat at a table with another female Gryffindor. Eri risked a glance at Severus who looked like he had swallowed something foul.

The Gryffindor boys had started a conversation about "Snivelly" as the last few students trickled in. "Hey, Lily, do you think old Snivelly will want to help you with your potions homework again this year? Maybe you can get him to beg." The boy with glasses snickered while tapping on the red-headed girl's shoulder.

"Oh, grow up, will you?" Lily snapped. Potter looked ashamed for a moment, like a puppy who'd been scolded for tearing up a shoe, but this only made Lily crack a smile at him and all his remorse vanished.

Before any of them could continue with their jabs at Severus, Professor Slughorn waddled to the front of the room and began his beginning-of-term speech. "Welcome class, welcome, to Advanced Potions! As all of you should know, I am Professor Slughorn, and I sure know all of you. This is a N.E.W.T.s level course, so before we begin, I want you all to think long and hard about whether or not you wish to continue at this level. Thought about it? Excellent. Let's get started. Everyone should have a copy of the book, please hold yours up… Thank you. Moving on!" He rounded the corner of his desk beckoned the whole class forward.

With a universal grimace and hesitation, the class unwillingly stood, leaving their things at their seats, and moved forward. They clumped around the desk, staring at a covered cauldron in front of them. "This will be an easy one to start us off. More of a review, really," Professor Slughorn said before taking the lid off the cauldron. A pearly potion bubbled inside. Slowly the room began to fill with the smell. The spiraling plumes of steam coming from the cauldron wrapped their tendrils around the heads of every student in the room. All at once Eri could smell Mag's fresh-baked biscuits, the subtle aroma of Fornax's musk, something that was both soapy and flowery, and a gentle fragrance she only knew one person in particular used. The potion had easily snared all of them.

"Who can tell me what this little concoction is called?" Professor Slughorn looked expectantly around the room, but most of the students were too distracted by what they were smelling to think about it. One hand found its way into the air. "Ah, Mister Snape?"

Everyone turned towards Severus. " _Amortentia_ , the love potion," he said quietly.

"Right you are, my boy! Ten points to Slytherin." A wide smile spread across Professor Slughorn's face while he covered the cauldron again. The scents Eri so dearly loved started to dwindle until she, and the rest of the class, were left with the damp, grubby odor of the dungeon. " _Amortentia_ , also known as the most powerful love potion in the world. This beauty can cause extreme infatuation and obsession to the poor soul made to drink it. However, while it is a _love_ potion,"

"No one has every managed to create a potion that completely replicates love," Severus interrupted. His eyes were fixed on the cauldron.

"Right again! Take another five points," Professor Slughorn said animatedly.

"Careful Lil," Potter whispered while nudging her. "Better keep your drinks away from Snivellus." The rest of his gang snickered beside him, but her eyebrows furrowed and she clenched her fist. The boys must have realized she was getting upset at this point as their laughter quickly died down. They were quiet enough for Slughorn not to notice, but Severus was close enough to hear. His face flushed and he looked like he was going to be sick. He tore his gaze away from the cauldron and lowered his head.

Professor Slughorn assigned them their "warm-up" brew of the semester: to try and make their own love potion from the instructions in the book. According to him, this would be the last "review" and from here on out, it would be new potions with increasing difficulty, as one should expect from an advanced class. He also assigned them several feet worth of parchment, more than double the average they'd been used to last year, on the history of love potions, love potion antidotes, and a critique of Remival Withervane's theory on brewed love. Before dismissing them to their seats and avidly ignoring the groans from several students, he got their attention once more. "Now, due to the intensity of this year, I have decided to do something new. Each student will be paired—." Several students let out more pained moans. "Yes, I said paired up, Medalus, and you may be especially thankful for it during the N.E.W.T.s exam. Each class from here on will contain two potions that must be made. Of course, these potions often take quite a bit of time, hence the partners. Each student will be responsible for one of the two options, his or her partner will be responsible for the other, and at the end of the day you will all receive grades for both potions. This will mean teamwork, give you incentive to carry your own weight, help improve each other's potioneering techniques, and expose you to twice the amount of potions as you would in a normal year. I expect you shall all be capable of acquiring an 'Exceeds Expectations' or 'Outstanding' on the exam at the end of the year." He finished with a smile, resting his hands on his round belly. This idea pleased him greatly and he could see himself as a genius of sorts for coming up with it. The students seemed to think otherwise.

"I've already determined the pairs, so, if you will, when I call the names, gather your things and get to work. Each student will be responsible for his or her own brew. Mister Medalus, you'll be working with Miss Amandolia. Off you go. Miss Amandolia, please whip your eyes, dear." Tabitha Amandolia crossed the room with her bag, hiccupping and trying to weep as quietly as possible. Now that class had officially begun, stress had crept over the shoulders of every student and planned to piggyback its way to the end of the year. "Miss Penderghast with Miss Willowpy."

Phoebe gave Eri a shrug and smile before heading back to the table they'd been sitting at and picking up her bag. Eri's heart sank and her stomach did backflips. This year had suddenly gotten much, much bleaker. Soon they were beginning their potions. Phoebe chatted happily away with the girl Lily Evans had sat with at the start of the class. Eri waited patiently for her name to be called. The tables began to fill with partnered students and steam billowed from the cauldrons. "Mister Snape with Mister Lupin." Severus' face dropped, but he moved without a word. Lupin, the Gryffindor boy with scars across his face, received several expressions from his group of friends ranging from concerned to amused, and got a "watch your back, Moony" from Potter. Lupin, like Phoebe, gave a 'what-can-you-do?' shrug to his friends and a light-heart smile before following after Snape. Neither said a word to each other, but jumped right in to making their own potions.

"Miss Bone," Eri faced Slughorn, hoping desperately that she would not have to work with the ringleader of the vicious Gryffindor operation. "With Miss Evans, please." She raised an eyebrow, but quickly decided this was the better Gryffindor option. The red head also received a few chuckles from the Gryffindor group, which made Eri's face burn. Without wasting another moment, she returned to her original table, which had remained unoccupied, and started pulling ingredients from her bag. Lily caught up to her as she flipped the book to the right page.

"Ignore them," she said quietly, placing her things on the tabletop. "They're a bloody bunch of gits. Sometimes even I can't stand the lot of them." She paused and raised her hand to Eri. "I'm Lily."

Eri pursed her lips, debating with herself about whether or not she really wanted to shake Lily's hand. She'd started to hate Lily's friends in such a short amount of time. She also knew that Severus wasn't the most pleasant person, but couldn't believe he'd done anything awful enough to deserve the incessant berating he'd received the entire class. Eri had heard rumors of some of the things that had happened to Severus over the years, but with classes as large as they had been, she'd never been close enough to witness anything or around him long enough to see. But, in her defense, Lily hadn't been one to contribute and had gotten upset over the jokes. She thought that just maybe Lily wasn't as bad as the others. She also thought that there were two ways this class could go for the rest of the year, and it seemed working together would be the easier route. With a deep breath, she shook Lily's outstretched hand. "I'm Eri. We'll need boom berry, fairy wings, and powdered moonstone first."

Lily nodded and immediately the two were delving into ingredients, until at long last, they both had a relatively decent version of _Amortentia_ bubbling and steaming in their cauldrons. By the end of the class, the entire room was shrouded in pleasant smells, tinged with smoke from a few failed potions. By the time Slughorn dismissed them, Eri was exhausted and only wanted to crawl back into bed. Professor Slughorn called Lily to his desk after class and Phoebe said goodbye to Eri before rushing out of the room, muttering something about how long it'd take her to get out to her Care of Magical Creatures class. Eri knew the climb she had to make would take a good bit of time, but she still packed her things sluggishly. This gave her time to process all that had happened and mentally prepare for another class with another brutal load of work that was sure to come.

Gradually all the other students filed out of the room, leaving only Eri, Lily and Professor Slughorn. They were in a happy conversation about a meeting of some kind that would be sure to come soon. The conversation was short, and soon Eri was left alone, as Lily made her way to the door and Slughorn returned to his office in the connecting room. Eri took her time walking up the hall. She had a few minutes to spare, and honestly, she wasn't sure why she'd decided to continue Divination anyway, aside from getting to spend time with Castor.

Further along the hall, she was positive she'd seen Fornax's plumed, black tail swish down a side corridor, and stopped herself from calling out. She hadn't seen him since the night before, but the voices coming from the nearest hallway kept her silent. She crept close to the edge of the wall, curious as to what was being discussed in the hushed hallways.

"Lily, please, give me a chance." The voice, Eri recognized, was Snape's. It cracked and trembled as he spoke.

"Sev, no. I've told you again and again. I don't want to see you. I don't want to be friends. I can _never_ forgive you for what you've done." The second voice was sharp and higher pitched. Lily sounded much angrier than she had been with the Potter boy in class.

"I said I was sorry. I've said it a thousand times," Severus said quickly. "I am so, so sorry, Lily. You have to believe me. I would never—, I was just so angry I—… I didn't mean it. You were my best friend. Please, please don't do this to me." Eri thought he might even be crying as he begged.

Lily, much more cold-hearted than Eri gave her credit for, turned him down. "I do not want to see or talk to you again." Severus made an attempt to interrupt, but she cut him off. "No, I mean it Severus. You've done an awful thing for which you deserve to be punished. I don't care how angry you were. We're done," she said. "We've been done for a long time."

"How could you?" Severus was angry now. His voice hitched. "How could you still take their side? How could you protect that wretch James bloody Potter after all the years we've known each other? I would do anything for you!" Eri risked a glance over the edge of the wall. She watched as Snape brought his fist to his chest. "I would _die_ for you, and yet I slip up once and that's it? They were torturing me, Lily. Am I not allowed a single moment of weakness or rash action?"

Lily said nothing for a moment. She didn't even bother to look at him as she considered his words. "What matters to me, is that in your so-called moment of weakness… In your rash action… The raw thoughts and emotions you had were against me. To insult me in the worst way. That, _that_ , is what you thought of in your anger. You took it out on me. And I can't forgive that, because it's what you really, truly think of me, deep down inside of you."

Snape gasped in exasperation. "But it isn't! Lily, I swear, I lo—," he started.

"No, Sev. Don't. Maybe one day, far, far from now, I can find it in me to be your friend. But, for right now, and until that day comes, I want nothing to do with you. Nothing, Severus." Lily didn't wait for a response, but turned on her heels and headed for the hallway Eri was eavesdropping from. As fast as she could, Eri drew away from the wall and hid behind the pillar beside her. She heard Lily's footsteps approaching and then listened as they shrank away down the corridor, away from the dungeons. She waited, but didn't hear any more footsteps. She tiptoed to the wall again, and peeked over the edge again. Severus had slid down one of the walls and had his head in his hands. She could have sworn she heard sniffles and sobs coming from him, but didn't have time to make sure. Instead she tiptoed quickly across the open walkway between the halls as quietly as she could, and then made a sprint for the North Tower once she was out of earshot.

She made it to class, rushed to grab a seat beside Castor while startling him in the process, just as the bell rang. She ripped the note Phoebe had given her out of her bag as Professor Brendalhorn entered the smoldering room, and handed it to Castor. He opened it as the professor began closing all the windows. His face was much more pallid than Phoebe's had been and Eri figured that his letter had to have said something vastly different. She didn't have time to dwell on it before Professor Brendalhorn started talking. Her bright blue robes, flecked with gold, twisted around her ankles as she walked and her light, bushy brown curls twisted about her face. She wasted no time at all starting the class on palmistry, warning that most students would not be able to accomplish proper palm reading and even those with the Sight could struggle without practice. Eri was partnered with Castor who read her palms. He told her she'd have a short life with lots of sickness and would die alone. With the kind of day Eri was having, she didn't even doubt it.

At the end of Divination, Professor Brendalhorn assigned another whopping roll of parchment and wanted the class to start with lunar charts again to predict the year ahead. At lunch, Eri spent most of time eating and listening to Phoebe prattle on about the magical creatures she'd seen on the grounds in her last class. Eri decided not to mention the grim look on Castor's face when he read the letter or the conversation she'd heard between Lily and Severus. She didn't think it right to talk about things she didn't truly understand or know about. She did spend a few minutes looking around for Severus in the Great Hall, despite herself. She was mildly concerned for his well-being, as he seemed to be having an awful day. He was nowhere to be found. Lily and her Gryffindor friends were all present and accounted for, though, laughing and chatting happily across the Hall. This didn't sit right with Eri and her appetite started to dissipate.

Phoebe wanted to leave early to get to their last class of the day before their free period, but Eri insisted that she wasn't quite full yet and would meet her there. Something tugged at Eri to stay and wait. Phoebe didn't buy it, but left anyway. Eri sat for a few minutes, staring at the food on her plate, wanting very much to eat it, but couldn't bring herself to. Just like the night before, she started to feel as if she was being watch. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she couldn't help but shudder. She glanced around the room yet again, but none of the students she saw were particularly interested in her at all. Most of the room had emptied out by this point anyway as students had classes to get to. A moment later, when Eri couldn't stand the feeling anymore, she stood, swung her bag over her shoulder, and started towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

The feeling followed her. The entire walk made her feel like she was on display. She glanced at all the paintings as she went, but most were distracted by their own devices. Witches and wizards of all periods of time moved in and out of frames, suits of armor marched around, various animals ran through paintings, a red fox with a blonde underbelly looked about its frame while flicking its tail lazily. She couldn't figure out what was causing her to feel so uneasy.

She got to the door and almost collided with someone for the second time that day. She looked up to see the black messy hair and sour face she was not thrilled to be familiar with. His eyes were puffy and his face more sunken than normal. This didn't stop him from scowling at her before pushing past and into the almost full classroom. Eri raised her head and looked at the ceiling. With a deep breath, she talked herself into a calm, swearing that he'd had a day much worse than she'd had and the moral thing would be to not hex the hell out of him. She took a few more breaths before entering the room.

"Please, students, come in, come in. Find a seat quickly," Quincypratt's voice was small and squeaky. His mangy, orange hair once again stuck out in puffs under his bowler hat.

Eri looked around for Phoebe, but quickly realized that every seat she could see, including the one next to her best friend, was full. Phoebe gave her a pained look. Eri forced a smile, knowing that it was her own fault for being late, but that didn't stop the sinking feeling in her gut. She turned to the right, but again, all the seats were taken. She turned the left and her heart sank. There was one empty seat. Her eyes met dark puffy ones, cased in purple bruised, that were going to become permanently pinched in a scowl if he didn't stop. "Bloody hell, by the white of Merlin's beard I swear," she cursed under her breath. She didn't have any other choice but to take the seat as Quincypratt made the call again. Eri sat down, refusing to look at the boy next to her. Instead, she focused on the quick but dull lecture Professor Quincypratt started immediately into. She then buried her face in her book to ignore Severus once their class assignment had been given. He did the same. This was another shared class with between Slytherin and Gryffindor, but the group from potions that had been hell-bent on giving Severus a hard time had thankfully gotten seats near the front of the room. This was the silver-lining, but by the end of the class, even that was gone, as they'd been assigned yet another hefty parchment assignment over the readings they'd done in class and over various hexes and curses. They would be practicing them in class at a later date. Eri reckoned this was easily becoming the most taxing year she'd ever had the misfortune of living and it'd barely even started.

She hadn't noticed the creeping feeling only stopped when she'd entered the room.

* * *

My inbox should always be open and I want to know what those of you reading think!

Thanks for sticking with me this far.

-LG


	5. Creep

Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and it definitely gives me motivation to keep posting chapters. Hopefully, I'll be able to get out about one chapter a week from here on out.

Playlist for Chapter 5 is live. Chapter 6's is in progress.

Happy reading!

* * *

The semester was in full swing.

Students of all shapes, sizes, and colors skittered through the halls after breakfast, no longer tentative or lost. The younger students took to clogging the halls in groups between classes, while the fourth and sixth years could be found pranking and hexing others in courtyards and corridors. The fifth years and seventh years were often strewn across halls, common rooms, library, classrooms, and on the grounds, swamped by an intense course load in preparation for their end of year exams. The seventh years tried desperately to balance life and school work, but no one was faring well. Some had given up, doing just enough to scrape by for their classes and spent the rest of their time lounging. Most longed for breaks, fun, and friends, but found themselves deep in the pages of school books and rolls of parchment.

This was what had become of Eri and Phoebe. They sprawled out in front of the lake on their free time, fiercely scribbling and scratching word after word. The girls were trying frantically to stay afloat in their classes, but it seemed that every assignment they finished begat three more. Phoebe struggled to remember the variety of medicinal potions, their uses, and ingredients while Eri tediously charted constellations.

"Shouldn't you be memorizing these potions with me? I'm sure he's going to assign us something ridiculous." Phoebe put her hands on her belly. "Now class," she started in an unusually deep voice. "I want one hundred inches comparing and contrasting the ingredients use in every medicinal potion known to wizard-kind, while explaining why Sir Bodrigard Hallospiel's 'cure-all potion' could never truly work!"

"Blimey. You'd better get started on that. I'm not great at Divination, but I'd bet my left tit that's what he'll want from us next."

"I swear," Phoebe shook her head. "I'm not so sure getting through the N.E.W.T.s is worth all of this bloody work. The fact that I could do all of this homework, try so hard, study so long, and still not pass the exam makes me nauseous." Eri muttered an agreement, but continued charting stars.

"Does this sound right to you? Sagittarius will ascend and is ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter brings luck, especially when it's angled toward Mars, as Mars causes accidents and problems. So, Jupiter would bring you luck in any accidents Mars causes?" Eri held up her star chart as she spoke, turning it one way, then another, and then completely upside down, all the while squinting at it.

"If you mean does it make you sound like an absolute nutter, then yeah. I'd say you're barking."

Eri groaned. "Where the hell is Castor when I need him? Even if this is all rubbish, he's good at it."

"It _is_ rubbish. And he does so well at it because all being good at rubbish takes is believing in the codswallop you're spewing out. But you're right. I haven't seen him all day. Most days, really, here lately. It's not like him to be so M.I.A., is it?"

"Should we go find him?" Eri looked around as she said the words, half expecting to see Castor making his way across the grounds towards them.

Phoebe shook her head. "We can try to catch him at dinner tonight or tomorrow. I don't think either of us can afford taking a break to go adventuring around the castle right now. I've still got an essay to start for Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy."

"It's always been funny to me that you hate Divination with a passion, but love Arithmancy."

"That's because Divination is fancy bullshitting based on however you're feeling that day and what phase of the moon we're in, while Arithmancy has a process and foundational structure," Phoebe said. She raised an eyebrow at Eri, challenging her.

"Are you sure _you_ weren't supposed to the twin in Ravenclaw and Castor in Slytherin?" Eri grinned. "Perhaps the Sorting Hat got the two of you confused?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Please. Castor getting in was hard enough of our mum." Eri's brow wrinkled, prompting Phoebe to explain. "Our entire family has been in Slytherin, even though not all of us are pureblooded. Mum's family is a pureblood, of course, but our father's father was a half-blood and the one before him was a muggle. My mum's mum was distraught over her marrying into a half-blood line, mind you. But, Castor was the first of our family to be sorted into a different house. When Castor got around to writing her back that first year, she was absolutely gutted. Spent the entire first summer we were home crying every time he entered a room with her in it. Now she's constantly prattling on between the crying about how he still has to uphold his responsibilities to the family and to Slytherin. Of course, Castor hasn't had a clue about what that means this whole time. She's gone completely batty if you ask me."

This surprised Eri. She'd never heard Phoebe or Castor talk about their family very much and perhaps this was why. Eri had always tried to imagine what having a conventional family would be like, according to what she'd heard from other students and seen of the muggle families she'd lived near. She pictured waking up in the morning to breakfast cooking and coming downstairs to see a beautiful woman with long, brown hair cascading down her back twirling around the living room with a handsome man in a suit and tie. He'd kiss the woman before they both turned to see her. The next moment, they sweep Eri into their arms, covering her with hugs and kisses. She knew deep down that this was too romantic for normal families. According to those around her, breakfast could be bleak or eaten alone, parents were often mean or viscous, never dancing or showing affection, and children were typically left to their own devices. Growing up with only Rider and Fornax to keep her company had never been either romantic or normal.

Phoebe didn't notice that Eri was lost in her own thoughts and continued talking. "The things from that woman, I'll tell you. And it's always about Castor. She doesn't give a rat's arse what I do. Castor is the golden child. Her baby boy. Your mum isn't as looney as ours, yeah?"

"Er, yeah, no, she's um… she's pretty laid back, I'd say." Eri mumbled. Even though Phoebe and Castor were her closest friends, she'd never felt confident enough to explain that she'd never met her parents or attempt describing her life with Rider over the years. She wasn't sure how either of them would take it and she didn't want to make them uncomfortable. And, as a first year who'd barely had any experience with magic prior to getting on the Hogwarts Express and not wanting to stand out, being abandoned (or orphaned for all she knew) wasn't something to broadcast if one wished to fit in.

Phoebe nodded as if to say "see, I thought so," and went back to flipping through her notes. Eri looked back down at her star chart. Something looked off but she didn't have the strength to try and remake it. She'd have to hope she could find Castor before the next Divinations class and get him to look at it. Phoebe didn't seem too upset about his absence, but something deep down inside of Eri was unsettled by it. Instead of starting another assignment, she looked out towards the lake. She chewed on the inside of her cheek out of habit.

"Hey, look at that," Phoebe said. Eri looked at her and then followed her eyes across the grounds. Wilkes, Rosier and two other Slytherin boys Eri didn't know by name were huddled around the trunk of tree with a girth easily the size of a compact car. Rosier seemed to be rather upset by something and looked as if he was scolding the other boys. Wilkes' face seemed red with shame. "Business for You-Know-Who I bet." Eri didn't know who. She tried to hide her confusion but she wasn't quick enough. "Are you serious? You don't know!?"

Eri was forced to admit that she didn't and this set Phoebe off. Without hesitation she jumped into a lecture. "I don't know his real name, but I hear mum and da talking about it in secret all the time. They say all these bad events in the news are probably his doing. He and his "Death Eaters," his followers that is, seem to be causing the Ministry a whole lot of problems. There've been attacks, even murders attributed to their doing. And You-Know-Who is the ringleader of it all."

Eri didn't know what to make of this. She hadn't heard any news herself, but attacks and murders sounded exceptionally awful. "You don't think Rosier and the others have anything to do with that, do you?"

Phoebe nodded. "I most certainly do. I think all the pureblood families are involved. They may not be directly responsible, but I think they all believe in the movement. See, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named believes there should only be pureblood witches and wizards, yeah? I know a lot of families that believe the same. They think mudbloods stole knowledge of magic and half-bloods are a disgrace."

Eri nodded. She'd heard that much before. It wasn't possible to be in the Slytherin common room without hearing someone sneer and boast about blood lineages. She remembered the encounter she'd had with Severus on the train and how worked up and afraid he'd been about someone finding out he was a half-blood. This also made her wonder if he really did have a part in this Death Eater nonsense. She always felt odd being in Slytherin because of that kind of talk. Rider had taught her differently than her housemates and having Mag and Fat Pauly around had given her a different perspective. "You don't believe in that hogwash, right?"

"Of course not, but as mad as mum is, I wouldn't put it past _her_ to believe it. I'll tell you, that Death Eater work is as bad as it gets. That's really evil stuff they do. Dark arts. And You-Know-Who is a Class A bad wizard. I guarantee he's out there recruiting. I bet that Snape bloke is in on it as well. He hangs out with that whole lot."

Eri watched the boys as they talked and ranted to one another. The girls were too far away to make out any words, but she still got chills thinking about it. "And the Ministry can't stop him?"

"As far as I know, they can't even find the bloody git. They've got a hard enough time trying to round up the Death Eaters. Although, I've heard mum and da talking about it when they think Castor and I are asleep. They say the Ministry contacts Dumbledore quite often and he's been the only help so far. Dumbledore is one of the best wizards the world has ever known, da says, but mum disagrees. She thinks he's lost his marbles in his old age. Of course, I think _she's_ the actual crackpot."

"Does Castor know about all of this?"

"Oh, I'm sure he's seen the Daily Prophet. Mum reads it religiously. I don't think he listens to their late-night conversations like I do. Too much of a goody-goody, probably. I've walked in on him and mummy dearest having very secretive conversations, though, now that I think about it. But, she's often in tears so it may just be her shaming him for turning his back on Slytherin."

Eri couldn't imagine what it was like to have a parent that cared so much about something she considered so inconsequential. Slytherin or not didn't make a difference to her. It wasn't until after she got her Hogwarts letter and was sorted that Rider even mentioned that he'd attended Hogwarts as well, much less that he'd be placed in Gryffindor. She'd gotten along with him just fine. Even when she'd heard rumors of bad wizards being from Slytherin over time and of the bad reputation her house had, Rider addressed her concerns with a simple "the house doesn't make the witch," and that had been more than enough for her.

With a huff, Phoebe shut all her books and threw herself back on the ground. She crossed her long, bronze legs and ran her hands through her short, chestnut locks. The crisp, fall breeze decided to pick up and caused several pages to flap and turn. "I'm sick of this and it's only Tuesday." Eri thought she looked a lot like Castor in that moment, although she found both to be equally gorgeous. It was no wonder everyone they met seemed to love them. "Speaking of Severus," Phoebe started, cutting her eyes at Eri. "Have you had any more awkward run-ins?"

Eri shook her head all too happy. She'd been Snape-free for almost a month and not having to see or deal with him aside from class was a relief. After overhearing his conversation with Lily, she wasn't sure how to handle normal interactions, and any time he looked at her, she felt he somehow knew that she'd seen. Potions was easy, considering they weren't partners and Lily Evans never so much as thought in his direction. Eri had figured Defense Against the Dark Arts would be more complicated, but Professor Quincypratt dedicated most the class to lectures and bookwork, allowing volunteers to practice spells in class while promising that in-class practice would pick of after the holidays. That meant for the most part that Severus and Eri spent the whole time avidly ignoring each other and burying their faces in their books. All other classes had the two far apart and she'd had tremendous luck in not nearly knocking into him for several weeks now.

"And here I was, thoroughly convinced you'd been lying and really did fancy him. What a shame." Phoebe couldn't hide the amusement in her voice. "Granted, you could do better. You're too brilliant and pretty to settle for someone who can't bloody smile every now and then."

Eri started to agree, but felt a small pang of guilt rumbling in her stomach. If she were being honest with herself, she knew why Snape wasn't happy. She reckoned she wouldn't smile either if she was berated at home, bullied at school, and had her best friend turn away from her in the middle of it all. Eri still wasn't sure what the specifics of Lily and Severus' relationship had been, but she'd witnessed enough to understand it had been serious.

Phoebe had fallen silent now, eyes closed and lips pursed. Eri tried not to think about Severus, Rider, or any of the things that'd been piddling around in her head these last few weeks. Instead, she looked towards the Forbidden Forest across the Black Lake. The forest was dense and it impossible to see more than the first few trees along the edge. The gaps in the foliage were filled with inky, blackness and the leaves rustled soundlessly in the breeze. They swayed in a hypnotizing rhythm, like a distant tease only meant for her. She watched, eyes following the movement from the tops all the way to the last rung of branches. She wondered what secrets were truly held inside of that forest. She was curious to know what monsters slept inside just inside, only a short bit away from a school teeming with children. She decided instantly that it was quite absurd to keep such a dangerous breeding ground so close by, and yet, she thought, the forest didn't put itself near the school. It wasn't the forest's fault, nor should any creatures inside be blamed for their proximity. She felt a faint tug in her heart, on each inch of her skin, as if the forest was trying to pull her in; almost like it wanted her to be a part of it. She'd never given the Forbidden Forest a second thought over the last seven years, but now, looking at it, she didn't understand how that could be. Her eyes traced over the mossy curves of the trunks along the tree line. She wondered what it would be like to pass through that threshold, feel the coarse bark under her fingertips as she went, and what it would take to loose herself to it. She would never have to worry about trivial things like homework or gossip ever again. The pull felt greater now than before. Her body ached to stand, walk, touch, disappear within the woods. She was seconds from getting to her feet when something caught her attention.

A pair of eyes were staring back at her from behind a sapling. Catlike and amber, suited perfectly for the dark. She had almost mistaken them for part of the forest, but now she could see that the eyes belong to a face. A sunken face that looked as if it had been carved entirely out of bark. It was almost like one of the trees had suddenly sprouted body parts and uprooted itself. It didn't make sense.

Phoebe cleared her throat and sat up, causing Eri to jump. Eri hadn't noticed that they'd been sitting in silence for quite some time and the sun had begun to set. "Might as well head inside, yeah? It'll be dinner time soon." She didn't bother looking at Eri as she started gathering her books. Eri didn't respond. The forest beckoned for her attention and she frantically searched for the eyes again. She check each and every tree. Once, twice, a third time… the eyes and whatever they'd belonged to were gone. Phoebe stood and shouldered her bag before looking at Eri expectantly. "Oy! You going to lull around down there all day?" Eri blinked a few times to try and focus her eyes. No faces showed themselves. She shook her head, both surprised and certain she was losing her mind, before quickly stuffing her books and papers into her bag. Phoebe'd already started making her way back towards the castle. Eri glanced over her shoulder once more, giving the trees another hard look over before heading to the Great Hall. She was most definitely losing her mind. The stress had to be getting to her.

Castor was missing from dinner and this discovery seemed to upset Phoebe. She mumbled something about how unusual it was for him to miss meals while biting into a piece of lamb. Eri was slightly worried also and hoped she'd be able to get to Divination early enough to catch him before she had to turn in the stupid star chart she'd wasted most of the afternoon attempting. The girls finished eating relatively quickly, but it was still dark by time they made it into their room. Phoebe crawled into bed and was asleep before her head hit the pillow. The other girls slowly dozed off to the sound of Phoebe's snores and the familiar sound of the Black Lake waves lapping at the windows. Eri laid on her back, staring up at the thick canopy over her four-post bed. Fornax lay curled up at her feet, the tip of his plumed tail flicking lazily back and forth as he snoozed. For what felt like hours, she laid there, staring into the dark, listening to the waves, snores, and movements of the girls in the room. Matilda Belval, a stout girl with a squash face who'd always preferred Phoebe to Eri, turned over in her sleep and muttered what sounded like a plea for Professor Slughorn not to use her owl as potion ingredients. The edge of Eri's mouth twitched.

Her entire body ached to fall asleep, but she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. Something felt off to her. Like the Earth had somehow shifted on its axis a minuscule amount, a cosmic alignment was the tiniest bit crooked somewhere, or she was coming down with a cold. She'd felt as though she was suddenly apart of a large spot-the-difference puzzle game like muggle children play with. There were two copies of her world and she'd stumbled into the one where small, nearly-impossible-to-spot changes had been made. Everything looked right, but it felt wrong. She tried hard to ignore the uncomfortable tug in the back of her mind, but she still couldn't fall asleep.

Careful not to scare Fornax, she pulled her feet out from under him and slipped out of the sheets. He gave a lowly, disgruntled mew, but purred and went back to bed after she scratched behind his ears for a moment. The floor was cold under her bare feet and it caused her to tremble violently as she walked. There was a thrill to being out of bed while every else sleeps soundly, none the wiser to a small, scraggly figure creeping around corners without a sound. There was a fire on its last leg in the common room, but she figured it would be just enough light to read by.

Eri almost let out a scream when a hand shot out from one of the chairs facing the fireplace and a burst of flames illuminated the room. She clasped her hands over her mouth and clutched her chest, damn near positive she'd just been given a heart attack. Whoever was sitting gave no indication of having heard her, or they couldn't be bothered with her if they had.

For a split second, Eri thought about going to join the person, but then she remembered the conversation she and Phoebe had that afternoon. Her house could be swimming with Death Eaters and whatnot, making some of the people here murderers in the making if all that Phoebe said turned out to be true. Maybe sticking around alone wasn't the smartest idea. She'd hate to have to hex someone and have the whole lot of them after her. She turned on her heels as silently as possible and started back towards the corridor that lead to the dorms. She was only a few steps away from the threshold when she heard hush voices whispering harshly to one another.

Eri swore. In a minute someone was going to round that corner and see her there, pajamas and all, and a sinking feeling in her gut told her it would not go over well. She heard the words "You-Know-Who" mentioned, followed by something that sounded like the word "ordered" but the swishing of clothes and careless footsteps drowned out the rest. If any of these You-Know-Who supporters and Death-Eater-whatevers thought she knew something about them, Eri suspected it would guarantee a target on her back. She knew there would be nowhere good to hide once they were in the common room, but standing right in front of whoever it was when they rounded the corner would be worse for obvious reasons.

As quietly as she could, she jumped to one side, pressing herself up against the wall. Panicking, she reached for her wand and racked her brain for something that would help. If only she knew a proper shrinking spell or could make herself… Invisible. She forced herself to concentrate as she heard the steps coming closer. She closed her eyes. She twisted her wand about herself as quickly as she could and suddenly felt a sticky sensation dripping all over her body. The whispers had no ceased completely with the footsteps. Eri ricked giving herself a peek, hoping as hard as she could to see nothing when she did. The stark empty space where her body should have been caused her to jump, but she was relieved nonetheless. Two large figures stood beside her.

"'Oos in eer," the first one said gruff and angry. She couldn't see their faces, but wouldn't have second-guessed for a second they were giant egg-for-brains.

"Show yerself." The second one moved and Eri assumed he had dawn his wand. Eri had forgotten in her panic that someone else was in the room with them and thought for a quick second that they were talking to her. A tall but lanky figure rose from the chair. The shadows from the fire hid his face. "Sev? That you?" The second boy spoke again, this time moving into the little light that was coming through a side window. Eri could see the lake and forest through it, causing her to shudder, but she couldn't think about that now. She had troubling feeling she was about to become an unwilling accessory and she didn't trust herself not to mess it up. They couldn't see her, but she was fully aware that they'd be able to hear her if she did anything. Wordlessly, careful not to accidentally hit anything when she moved, she pointed her wand at herself, casting the silencing spell. All at once, the room got the slightest bit quieter like she had been moved a little bit further away from it.

"Of course it's me, idiots. I said I'd be here and here I am." Eri recognized Severus' voice, but he disappeared behind the high-back of the chair once more.

It bloody would have to be him, Eri thought to herself. Now she knew damn well she couldn't allow herself to be caught.

"Well, wot's of it? Any news?" Eri recognized the second boy to be Wilkes. She couldn't recognize the first, but he was a lot bigger than the Wilkes and she thought he may be a year younger. They took steps into the room and seemed to be warming themselves by the fire. Eri hesitated for a moment, making sure there was nothing around her that she could accidentally knock over before she stepped away from the wall.

Once more, she found herself only a few steps from freedom when Severus spoke again. "He's called another family for a new recruit."

"One'v us?" The younger boy started.

"Didn't think there were any left," Wilkes said at the same time.

"Clearly. He's done something new this time. He's starting to pull them from other houses. Lucius sent an owl to me earlier explain the painstakingly slow process," Severus said in his deep, but oddly cool voice.

Go, Eri told herself. Go and get back to your room. You don't need to be hearing any of this. She tried to move her feet, but rooted her to the spot.

"'oo is it then, go on?"

"A Ravenclaw boy." The words hung in the air before drifting across the room and wrapping themselves around Eri's head. It couldn't be.

"Ravenclaw, eh. Wants the smart ones now, yeah?" Wilkes elbowed the other boy who scoffed.

Eri turned around before she could stop herself. She was standing beside the fire before she realized she'd started walking to begin with. Severus sat in the high-backed chair with what looked like a library book resting in his lap. The shadows from the fire danced across his face. "When his alternative is to continue with dolts like you two, I'd say it's a rather strategic move. Of course this has more to do with the boy's parents, however. I doubt he even knows about it yet." Eri thought for a moment she saw Severus' eyes flicker in her direction, but he didn't give the slightest hint he saw her. "According to Lucius, he plans to pull from several other house."

"And wot 'bout us," the first boy asked.

"Yeah, wha'er we supposed to do?"

"As far as I can tell, he needs us to learn as much as we can. Educate ourselves with the Arts. He will need us ready as soon as school ends and we're outside of the Ministry's reach. Unfortunately for you two," Severus said, lifting the book off his lap and wiggling it slightly. "That'll mean learning how to read. You could probably use the practice as well, but try not to curse the students again, will you? Dumbledore is already on high alert and he is a far greater wizard than you two will ever be. Don't act lightly in his presence."

The other boys nodded. They stood around chatting for quite some time about what to practice and more importantly what to practice _on_. Severus suggested there may be plenty of options in the Forbidden Forest if one could get in. Eri caught on to the joke immediately, but she wasn't so sure the other two boys did.

Eventually Severus grew perceptibly tired of their interaction and dismissed them. There was no more they needed to discuss for the time being. He watched after the two until they were well down the corridor and off to bed. Eri remained still, watching Severus watch the boys until he turned back towards the fire. She waited until he opened the book once more and skimmed several pages. It was impossible to read at this distance, but the eerie symbols scrawled across the pages made Eri uneasy. She took a few steps away before Snape cleared his throat.

She froze and looked back his way. He was staring at the spot she'd just been standing in. His brows were furrowed and his eyes squinted, giving the space a very hard, calculating look. She hated to admit it, but Severus was a lot smarter than she'd originally given him credit for, and she wondered if he had in fact guessed she was there even if he couldn't prove it. Moving, even silently, seemed as if it would give her away. So, shuddering and praying neither of the spells would wear off before he left, she waited until Severus grew tired of the book he'd been reading.

He stood. Even with the yard or so between them, Eri could tell he towered over her with ease. From the inner pocket of his robes, he removed his wand causing Eri's chest to tighten with panic. For a moment, she was thoroughly convinced she'd become visible and he was going to hex her. Or worse. Eri held her breath. Severus held his book up then lightly tapped it with the tip of his wand. Slowly, as if he'd drizzled invisible ink on it, the book disappeared. He looked around the room once more, pausing to listen. The only sound now was cresting waves against the castle and the low rumble of distant thunder. Then, he yawned. A large one, with a stretch and soft groan. It was the single most human thing Eri was sure she'd ever seen him do.

With pointed movements, he made his way to the wall next to the fireplace. With his attention elsewhere, Eri took the chance to take a few steps, curious to see what he was doing. Normally, he's steps were twitchy, almost like a spider scurrying across a floor. Maybe the sense of power he had from commanding the other boys had an effect on him. He cradled what looked like nothing in one arm as he pointed his wand at the wall. He gave it three sharp taps in the shape of a triangle and there was a low grinding sound that started from inside the wall. The stones gave way, rotating themselves to reveal a relatively good sized hole. Eri craned her neck, but when he set the book down she realized it was empty. Well, maybe not empty, Eri thought, but she couldn't see what might have been in it. She reckoned he'd charmed anything that might be in there, just like he had the book. He gave the wall a final, hard tap with his wand and the stones twisted their way back into place. Without any noise at all, he was off. His robes flowed out behind him in a very regal sort of way. Maybe this is what the other girls Phoebe talked about saw when they looked at him. He paused a final time to look around. Eri noticed a sticky, tickling sensation on her skin that felt distinctly like a thick liquid was dripping off of her.

Satisfied that everything was in place, he raised his hand as he walked. The fire went out leaving the room in darkness. Snape rounded the corner towards the boy's dorm and everything became still. Eri looked down. Her body was back. She let go of the breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding, thankful to have made it out of the whole thing no worse for wear and loathing herself for stupidly getting into and staying through the entirety of it. As quickly as she could, she crept back towards the girl's room, double-checking the intersection between the dorms to make sure she was in the clear before skittering off back to her room and crawling into bed. She spent the rest of the night sitting in bed, staring up at the darkness trying to figure out how the hell she was going to get around to asking Castor if he was the one involved with the stuff Severus was talking about, wondering if she should go back and check out that hole in the wall, and planning routes so she made sure she avoided Snape as much as she could for the rest of eternity.

When the sky pinkened and the other girls started to stir, Eri was already out of bed and dressed. She was exhausted, slightly nauseated, and way too wired to try to rest. This year was not going as planned and all she could do was hope that she'd be able to guzzle as much coffee as she could find before the other students got down to breakfast.

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As always, thanks for reading and feedback/messages are always welcome! New chapter soon.

-LG


	6. Coffee Black

Posting Chapter 6 super early because I'm trash and can't stop writing. 7 will be about sometime next week unless I just bulldoze through it, too. Thanks for all the reviews! Playlist is live.

Happy reading!

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"Bugger off, will you? Some of us are trying to sleep!"

Eri rounded on the portrait, glaring. "Do I really look like I care if a bloody picture gets his beauty rest," she shot back through gritted teeth.

"Someone's in a foul mood. Children these days have absolutely no manners!" The old wizard with a long, crooked nose, and stark white hair muttered under his breath as he hitched up his formal robes and side-stepped out of his frame and into the budding field painting to his right. Eri thought she heard the words "ungrateful" and "brat," but she had too much on her mind to be bothered with the affairs of offended photos. It was still very early and hardly anyone would be out and about. Her footsteps echoed down the empty halls as she went. She couldn't keep her mind on one thing at a time. Her thoughts bounced from Castor to Severus to the book in the wall to the star chart then back to Castor. She most certainly had to talk to him. She needed to see him and make sure he was alright. And something about the way Severus had been watching the places she'd been standing, even though she knew there was no way he could have seen her, made her shiver. There was no way around it. She could not underestimate him again, and it would be best to avoid him completely.

A crazed thought crossed her mind and, in her sleep-deprived state, she allowed herself to entertain it. Was it possible that he could read minds? Eri had never heard of any magic that could give someone that ability, but she had learned over the years that most everything seemed possible and something like that was not likely to be broadcasted about. Maybe it was something taught in that weird book he'd been reading. Hell, Eri thought, if mind-reading wasn't dark magic she didn't know what was. Maybe it would even be advantageous to try and find the hole in the wall again and see just what Severus was hiding. But it would definitely have to wait. If he could read minds, she'd have to make sure he didn't suspect anything and really didn't know it was her that night.

She snorted. "If he could read minds," she mumbled to herself, hearing just how insane that sounded out loud. She figured she was truly starting to lose her mind in the end. But, even if it was just paranoia, she decided there could be no such thing as being too cautious with a bunch of juvenile delinquents and Azkaban prisoner wannabes running around. She rubbed one of her eyes with her finger. The weight of the bag on her shoulder seemed to be increasing with every step and her entire body seemed sluggish. At this rate she'd run of energy before she could make it to the Great Hall. The doors still seemed so far away and exhaustion was setting in.

"How's it, Eri!" Her footsteps came to a halt. She forced herself to turn around. Castor was coming down one of the staircases behind her, taking the steps two at a time. He was beaming, a magnificent smile spread across his face, and his robes blossomed out around him. The shaggy, dark brown mop of hair he had looked disheveled, like he hadn't bothered with it before leaving his room. Somehow it worked for him. His hand was raised, waving. He made it to her in not time, standing over her by an entire foot. "You'll not believe this," he said, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her towards the Great Hall. He let go and started towards the door, talking as he went, clearly expecting Eri to join. She didn't. Only her eyes followed him. "I was down near the Hufflepuff's common room, yeah? Talking to a mate of mine. Anyway, as I was leaving I noticed this odd picture of some fruit. A pear was wiggling around on it, looking like it had a good itch. So I scratched it, as one does. The thing bursts into laughter and suddenly a door appears and I'm in the kitchen! Hogwarts' kitchen! Did you know the whole thing is run by house elves? Loads of them!" He turned to see her reaction, but she was still several feet behind him. He twisted around, raising an eyebrow, and started back towards her. "Did you hear that? Whole kitchen is run by house elves."

"House elves," Eri repeated quietly. She wasn't looking at him, but more so through him, off into the distance.

"Well yeah, that's what I said. Keep up, will you?" He motioned her towards the Great Hall. "Come on then."

"That's where you've been?"

Castor paused, giving Eri a hard look. "Are you feeling alright? Did you sleep okay?"

"No, I didn't sleep okay! I haven't slept at all, you git," Eri snapped, suddenly wide awake and fuming. "You," she hissed, pointing her index finger at him. "Leaving your sister and me to fair on our own while you're gallivanting around the castle. I need to talk to you and you're off playing with some bloody house elves?"

"Well, I didn't know you ne—."

"I'm here worried sick. What are we supposed to think with you missing meals," she started again, jabbing a finger in his chest. "When have you _ever_ missed a meal, Castor? I mean, there I am just going down to the common room to read or sit by the fire and I get sucked into… And my bloody star chart is all wrong and I can't fix it. I need a whole litre of coffee at least."

Castor threw up his hands. "Ow! Settle down, you nutter! I've just been off studying, okay? We all have a lot of work to do. The N.E.W.T.s are coming up. Remember those? Huge test that determine what kind of jobs we can get? Super important?" He might have sounded playful, but he was watching her finger fearfully. "Maybe we should get you to the infirmary so you can rest? Don't take this the wrong way, but you sound a mite mental."

Eri narrowed her eyes at him. Her nostrils flared. " _We_ need to talk," she growled, threatening to jab him again.

"Right, yeah, of course!" Castor nodded quickly. "Sure we need to talk," He said. Then he paused and furrowed his eyebrows. "Erm… what is it we need to talk about exactly?" Students were beginning to make their way down staircases and hallways. This caught Eri's attention. Soon they would be close enough to hear them and Eri definitely didn't want that.

"Hogsmeade," she said, watching the students getting closer. A buzz of chatter had started and things were going to soon be loud.

"Are you having a stroke?"

"We'll have to talk there. Keep up, Castor, honestly!" From down one of the halls she could see the green and silver of several Slytherin students. She thought she saw Phoebe further back talking to what looked like the squashed face of Matilda Belval. Without meaning to, her eyes scanned the crowd, resting on the one face she'd been hoping not to see. Dark eyes with renewed purple bruises sunken into a familiar pallid face held hers for a moment. Severus recognized her immediately and she could see his face begin to pinch in anger. Or loathing. Or both. He quickened his step and Eri was suddenly very aware that he was making a bee-line for her. The words "he knows" bounced around inside her head.

"And why is the castle no longer good enough?"

"Merlin's beard, Castor! Can't you tell this is a very serious conversation?" She kept her eyes on Snape for a moment more before facing the boy in front of her. "We cannot risk anyone overhearing anything." Castor opened his mouth to interrupt, but Eri cut him off. "And don't bloody tell me someone won't either, because I know fully blasted well they will as it's what got me in this situation to start! The walls here literally have _faces_!" Students now surrounded them. Eri looked back down the hallway. Severus was shouldering his way through the crowd. Eri could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage. Her face flush. Somewhere in the midst of everything her mind wandered to all the students now entering the Great Hall. She pictured them settling down at the tables, hogging all the coffee for themselves. Severus was only a yard or so from them and she could feel his eyes on her.

Eri grabbed Castor's hand, maybe a little too hard, and pulled him towards the doors of the Great Hall. "Let's go," she said. Castor didn't resist. "I need you to look at my star chart for class, if that's alright! Maybe get some coffee while we're at it, yeah?" She made sure to say this loudly.

"Erm… Sure, yeah," Castor mumbled. She pulled him towards the Slytherin table. The hairs on the back of her neck started to stand. She could tell she was being washed but pushed the thought out her mind. Instead she plopped down at the table and set her bag down. Castor sat in the seat next to her. His brows were pulled together and he was giving her a weird look, eerily similar to the one Severus had given the shadows last night. She tried to shake the feeling by diving after a scone, taking a large bite, and pouring herself a cup. Eri noticed Severus approaching the table. She downed her drink, scorching her throat as a way of distracting herself, and dug through her bag. Snape made his way to the opposite end of the table, find that Eri's attention was thoroughly pre-occupied.

She'd just found her chart when Phoebe made it to the table. "You sure bolted down here! Must have been starving," Phoebe said to Eri before looking at Castor. "And you! Where have you been running off to lately?"

"Funny story really," Eri started. She didn't look up from the chart. "Something about house elves. You'll want to hear about it in a moment. Now, look at this. The ruddy thing makes no sense. Absolute bosh."

Phoebe and Castor shared a look. He only shrugged and gave Phoebe a small grin as if to say "she's bloody lost it" before reaching over and taking the drawing out of Eri's hands. He held it up. Eri was still complaining about how much trouble it'd given her and all the time she wasted on it for it to still not look right. For a minute, he stared at it, slowly turning it this way and that. After a moment, he set it down and pointed to Aquarius. "Well, the problem is simple."

"Yeah, what's that," Phoebe said, finally sitting down.

"You see this here," he said to Eri, pointing to the dotted line across the drawing. "Well, it's the ecliptic, right?" Eri nodded. She knew that much. "And all these groups are supposed to rise and fall across the line. You charted it correctly. You got it all mostly in the right place, too. However…" He glanced up at Eri's face. "You inverted all the constellations."

Eri sat there, staring dumbly at the drawing in Castor's hands. She blinked a few times. "I inverted them," she repeated.

"Yes."

"All of them?"

"By the looks of it, yeah."

She looked from the chart, to Castor, to Phoebe, and back to the chart. Then, carefully, she folded her arms on the table and collapsed onto them without warning. Castor's hand shot out as if to catch her but he stopped himself. The twins shared another look.

"The whole thing," Eri whispered. "The whole thing is bloody fucking rubbish." Phoebe snorted and took a bite of biscuit. Any worry she might have had before seemed to disappear.

Eri decided that the best way to handle to avoid unwanted attention was to be with someone else as long as she could, so she clung close to Phoebe as they walked to Potions. Phoebe didn't seem to mind and kept the conversation going. Eri forced herself to listen to every word, keeping her mind from wondering as they walked. Several other Slytherin students walked with them. Up ahead, Eri could see Berta Willowpy, Phoebe's partner for class. She didn't notice Eri, but avidly waved to Phoebe, beckoning at her.

"I'm sorry," Phoebe said, waving back to Berta with a smile. "I promised I'd check over her essay before class started. You don't mind, right?" Eri started to protest, but Phoebe was already hurrying off to meet Berta.

Eri became aware of just how vulnerable she was without Phoebe. She desperately wished Castor was still with her. Wished so hard, in fact, that when someone put their hand on her shoulder, she half expecting it to see his shaggy hair and beautiful smile. Instead, she found herself staring up at a hooked nose and black, greasy hair. She was forced backwards into a side hall and out of the trickle of students making their way to the dungeons.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," she huffed, jerking away from Severus and stumbling. "I haven't told anyone anything about you, you self-absorbed prick! And didn't I warn you that the next time you shoved me would be the bloody last? My God, do you not know how to have a proper conversation with someone?" Severus' hand slipped inside of his robes. Eri took the movement as a threat and drew her own wand. She pointed the tip of it at his face. "Draw your wand and I swear to Merlin, God, and his son" she hissed through gritted teeth. "I am _not_ afraid of you and you'd best remember our deal before you do something you'll really fucking regret."

Snape scowled but let his hand fall. "This _is_ about what you know, stupid girl. Snooping around in my business nullifies the deal. I know it was you in—," he started.

"You don't know squat about me, you squandering, useless twit!"

"Eri! I'm glad I… what's this?" Lily stood at the connection between the hallways. Her flaming red hair glowed, illuminated by weak sunlight peeking through a window behind her. She took it upon herself to rush into the hall and put herself between the two. Eri lowered her wand. "Are you alright, Eri? Has he done something to you?" Severus grimaced at her words and looked away as if cowering from her. Eri was starting to notice a trend.

"Lil, where'd you disappear to? I was just telling Padfoot about that time Moony and I'd went to the Shrie—," Potter rounded the corner, soon joined by the other three boys. "Is that Snivelly causing trouble?" Eri could tell that his body tensed immediately at Severus and his tone changed despite the attempt at a joke.

Severus' face flushed and he looked at Eri. He tried to remain emotionless but his eyes gave him away. They screamed desperation and anger. Eri narrowed her eyes before raising an eyebrow at him, silently challenging him to disagree. Then she turned to Lily. "He won't do _anything_ ," she said slowly. "Isn't that right, Severus?" Eri cut her eyes up at him. She could see his jaw flex. He took a deep breath, swallowed, and then forced himself to give a curt nod.

For the first time since their secret meeting in the hallway, Lily acknowledge Severus' presence by looking him up and down. She openly glared, nearly growling as she spoke. "He'd better not." She grabbed Eri's arm, pulling her away from Snape. "Come now before we're late to class. I had a question about the homework. I know we're both absolutely worthless at those medicinal potions, but I really want to learn how to do them properly. I think there's a step we keep missing." Lily led her down the hall. The boys didn't say anything else to Severus and started towards the Potions room. Eri glanced back over her shoulder at him. His head was down, hair falling like a curtain over his face. She could tell his body was ridged and his hands were balled into tight fists by his side. She felt guilty. Using Lily to escape was dirty, but Severus had brought it on himself. She needed to make sure he took her threats seriously and clearly Lily was his weakness. If he was willing to toss her around in broad daylight, threatening her and whatnot over her being in the wrong place at the wrong time despite having no evidence, then she could not risk showing concern for his emotions.

The group made their way to class. Lily continued talking about the current unit of potions they'd been studying. Eri was thankful the boys hadn't joined in and kept to themselves most of the walk. She did not have the strength to deal with their belligerent behavior without sleep. She was also thankful that over the course of the year, the four boys had seemed to be coming out of their overt bullying phase. Phoebe gave her a questioning look when she walked in surrounded by Gryffindors, but Eri could only give a slight shrug while Lily took her seat. Eri noticed Severus slip in just seconds before class started, but he kept his head down the entire time.

As soon as class ended, Eri promised Lily she'd spend more time studying the healing potions so that she could teach it to her, then went directly to Phoebe forcing her best friend to join her on the walk through the halls. She didn't think Severus would try to get her alone so soon after what had just happened, but she couldn't be too sure. They parted once they reached the staircase Eri needed to take to get to the North Tower. Wasting no time at all, Eri practically sprinted up the stairs.

She entered the stuffy, heavily perfumed room and thought she was going to pass out from the thick air. She spent several minutes gasping for breath while others filed into the room past her. She felt a hand on her shoulder as she was nearly doubled over. "You alright there or still acting totally batty?"

Eri straightened and turned. "Look, if you only knew," she started angrily.

"Only kidding," Castor said quickly as she looked. A wide grin spread across his face. She let the rest of the sentence go and gave him a tiny smile. He motioned for her to go first, letting her lead. Once they were seated, he reached down and pulled Eri couldn't tell what out of his bag. "Brought you something." He looked around first to make sure no one was watching. The two of them were sitting in far corner of the back of the room and his body blocked most of the view. He placed a small cup on the small, round tabletop with a smirk. Eri pulled her brows together and cocked her head to the side. His smirk grew as he tapped the edge of the cup with his wand. The goblet filled to the brim with brown liquid. Eri stared at the cup dumbfounded. "It's a gift from one of those 'bloody house elves' I've been 'off playing with' as you put it." He slid the thing towards her. "I reckoned you'd probably be running out of steam right about now and I don't need you dozing off next to an open flame. It's charmed to fill itself with whatever the user wishes. It's the same as the ones the elves use for the tables. I'll have to take it back when you're finished, though."

Eri's eyes traveled from the cup to Castor's face and back again. "You are a gift to this planet you know?" She took the cup and inhaled the steam. The bittersweet smell tickled her throat. "I could kiss you." Castor chuckled. Eri couldn't make out the look on his face, but was too tired to think twice about it. She took several gulps of the coffee, not caring that it burned as it went down. She finished just as Professor Brendalhorn entered the room.

"We'll be beginning our unit on Pyromancy," she spoke to no one in particular. "Take out your books." She waved her hand and several bundles of sticks and various other items flew around the room, landing on tables. "We'll revisit fire-omens today and move into more advanced techniques in the classes to come." Eri had always considered Professor Brendalhorn to be a no-nonsense kind of person, but Divination was so unreliable and hardly what Eri considered practical for most people that stumbled into the class. It always struck her as odd that someone so serious would be teaching such a topic. Castor put the cup back in his bag and started setting up the sticks. He lit them with the tip of his wand.

"Now class, I want you all to focus as hard as you can. Look into the flames with a clear mind. Try not to blink. Sit up straight, that's it." Professor Brendalhorn twisted her way around the room, adjusting sticks here, giving pointers to students there. "Make an effort to get a read on your partner. I'll be asking groups to share their predictions, so do make an effort." Professor Brendalhorn made her way back to their table. "Castor," she greeted warmly with a tilt of her head. "I expect wonderful things. Miss bone. Look alive, my dear."

Castor snorted, quickly covering it with a cough as Professor Brendalhorn made her way back towards the front of the room. Eri couldn't stop her face from contorting, bewildered by the comment. Eri sighed and put her face in her hands. She'd had just about enough of everyone for the day. She only bothered to look into the flames when Professor Brendalhorn started making rounds again.

The flames danced around. The smoke had formed a thick fog over the room and Eri found it incredibly difficult to breathe after a few minutes, but the flames danced mimicked that of the trees from the Forbidden Forest and she couldn't bring herself to look away. A large pair of wide-set, amber eyes with slit pupils popped into the fire for a split second. They were gone an instant later, but it was enough to cause Eri to jerk away from the table, almost flipping back off her stool. Castor's hand shot out and steadied her before. Eri muttered her gratitude. He opened his mouth as if to make a joke, but Professor Brendalhorn was already on them.

"Mister Penderghast, please tell us what it was you saw for Miss Bone." Everyone had turned to look at them and Professor Brendalhorn looked a little too excited to Eri.

Eri looked at Castor nervous for the first time that he'd really seen something. The corners of his mouth twitched and he winked at her before lowering his head and getting dangerously close to the flames. "I was able to see the crescent moon, which means Eri needs sleep or will get sleep soon. Underneath was a horse which means…" he paused to check the book.

"Strong love," Professor Brendalhorn finished. "How wonderful! A secret admirer, perhaps." Eri had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. "Miss Bone, let's hear it."

Eri looked up at the Professor and then at Castor nervously. I, erm… Well," she said quietly, looking back at the flames. For a second, she feared the eyes would return but the only thing left in the flames was the bundle of sticks. "I think I might have seen a set of eyes," she finally admitted. She glanced up at Castor. He's amusement seemed to have dried up. He gave her another one of those strange looks she hated and immediately Eri looked away.

"Eyes are supposed to be warnings for death and evil. Rather generic for a N.E.W.T.s level student however. I expected more." Professor Brendalhorn left them alone. Eri frowned at how she'd finally seen something in one of these useless activities and Professor Brendalhorn had written her off. She turned to Castor ready to complain, but the look on his face caught her off-guard. She decided to drop it. Eri ignored anything else that was said in the class, threw her chart on the table as all the students filed out of the room, and she made quick work of catching up to Castor.

"Hold on a minute will you," she said, grabbing his arm. "Are you alright? That prediction doesn't mean anything. You know I'm ruddy awful at it and just make up things as I go."

"What, oh," he said, pivoting on his heels to face her. There were prominent worry lines across his forehead and for the first time all day he looked drained. Then, he scratched his head which caused his hair to stick up in odd place. Somehow, though, it never managed to look bad. He seemed to let go of whatever had been bothering him and he lightened up. "I'm great. Perfect. You know, I really wonder what it is you've done to make Brendalhorn dislike you so much," he said, clearly changing the subject. He quickly looped his arm under hers, intending to led her down the stairs.

Eri was concerned for him, but wasn't sure what to do about it, so she dropped the subject for the time being. "I haven't done anything to her."

"Maybe it's your inverted constellations. They're driving her mad."

"You're the one that's inverted!"

"Maybe so, but she likes _me_ ," he said. "So what do you think? A strong love from a secret admirer. Who could it be?"

Eri pursed her lips and made a face at him. "You tell me! You're the one barmy enough to make something like that up."

"Perhaps it's that Snape bloke, yeah? You still fancying him?"

She couldn't stop herself from snorting. "Fancying isn't the word I'd use. He's a class A prat."

They reached the last step. "You have a free period next, right?"

Eri nodded. "I'm supposed to meet Phoebe in the library."

"Fantastic," Castor grinned. "I've got to return that cup back to the kitchen. I'll met up with you two after. We can get to work on the Transfiguration homework for McGonagall." Eri agreed. She watched him cross the corridor in just a few steps. He waved as he rounded the corner and disappeared.

Eri didn't want to move just yet, but she felt a strange tickle on the back of her neck. She quickly scanned her surroundings, but no one was paying her any attention and Snape was nowhere to be found. Something in Eri's stomach twisted and turned, filling her with dread. Without wasting another minute, she started off to the library, rubbing the back of her neck as she went and repressing a shudder, writing it all off as sleep-deprived delirium.

Fornax found himself following an unusual scent around upstairs. He shoved his nose into several mouse holes but came up short. There was a draft somewhere and it was making it difficult to pinpoint the direction or source. He paced back and forth around the floor until he came across an open window. From the sill, he learned that the smell was not on this floor but on one of the others. He'd have to change his strategy, but the hunt thrilled him nonetheless. With his tail flicking happily in the air, he started towards the stairs, following his nose as best he could. However, he only made it a few flights down before he had to stop. Several kids were chatting boisterously about the upcoming holiday. Fornax waited in the shadows behind a suit of armor for them to pass. Once it was safe to come out, he left the protection of the suit and started down the stairs again.

It wasn't until he'd made it another flight down that he got the tingling sensation of being watched. He looked around, but the only other ones on the floor with him were a group of boy's Fornax recognized from the Slytherin common room. They let off strange odors that caused his nose to wrinkle, but they were too busy in whatever conversation they were having to notice the black cat creeping down the side of the hall. Fornax checked behind him, then checked the walls. Portraits of various old witches and wizards lined the walls. Some laughed softly with each other, others snoozed, propped up by their frames. A few were observed passing between frames, greeting others as they went. None of them noticed Fornax, but the feeling didn't let up. He went through every photo until he found a pair of eyes that met his.

A bright red fox with a blonde underbelly sat, tail curled over toes, in a framed picture of flourishing peonies almost touching the ceiling it was so high up. The hairs on the back of Fornax's neck and tail bristled, but he didn't move. The fox stared serenely down at him for a while, before turning its head. With a flick, it drew Fornax's attention back to the boys at the end of the hall. They were muttering something about Halloween. Fornax didn't understand and looked back to the fox. Once more it motioned to the boys. Fornax wrinkled his nose and let out a low growl, refusing to have anything to do with them. One moment passed between the two without any movement at all, then another.

Without warning the fox leapt into the portrait beside it and then jumped to others below it, making a quick climb down the wall. Once it was as close as it wanted to be to the floor, it took off, bolting to one side and disappearing around a corner. Fornax hesitated but quickly followed. Several more floors down and the fox stopped running, ascending instead back up towards the ceiling and coming to rest in a large picture of a garden. Fornax made sure to stick to the side of the hall, hiding near one of the statues. The fox flicked his head again, signaling Fornax's attention to another person.

A short, pale girl with dark brown hair falling around her face in loose curls was at the base of the steps talking to a boy with rich, tawny skin and messy hair. The boy soon waved goodbye leaving her stand their alone. The other students were quickly disappearing. The girl didn't move for a long while, staring off in the direction the boy left. Then something changed in her. One hand rubbed the back of her neck as she spun this way and that. What she was looking for Fornax didn't know, but she must have found it or given up because a moment later she was off.

Fornax looked back at the fox. It had also been watching Eri. Once she was out of sight, the fox returned its attention to Fornax. The cat narrowed his eyes, but something else was coming down the stairs. The fox motioned towards the direction Eri had gone and then stared at the boy coming down the stairs. He had long black hair and pasty skin. Fornax recognized him from the Slytherin common room as well, but he didn't give off the same smell as the others. The boy was partially leaning over the railing as he descended. He'd been watching Eri too, but there was no way to catch up to her over that amount of distance. Fornax looked from the boy to the fox. The fox only bowed his head as the boy passed them. Fornax wanted to hiss, the fox was once again on its feet, ready to move. Without any more indications or directions, it turned its back on Fornax. In seconds it had padded away, out of sight, into the depths of the garden.

Fornax growled, irritated by the whole ordeal.

Now that the fox was gone, he could smell the unusual, delicious scent that had brought him down the stairs to begin with, but it was several flights of stairs back up. He ignored it; his appetite was suddenly gone. Instead, he started for the dungeons, more than ready for a nap.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.

-LG


	7. Compromised

Hi, all! Here's Chapter 7. I've been sick so it's taken me longer than originally planned to post and there's also been a "file upload error" for a few days affecting a lot of users that I just found a way around. That said: here you are.

Happy reading!

* * *

Eri stared at the large door with contempt.

She'd gotten lucky so far, but luck can only go so long. She'd thought for sure that she would have to face Severus two weeks ago when she walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts. She'd had the displeasure of being stuck in close proximity to him and knew there'd be very little chance in avoiding him if she was seated beside him. But, by the grace of some higher power, Professor Quincypratt had changed his mind and let the class practice some of the defensive spells they'd been learning, as long as they promised to behave, of course. For several periods he'd let them out of their chairs, practicing spells on each other. Severus' face had fallen when the announcement was made. Eri, on the other hand, beamed. She was visibly giddy and positive Severus had noticed as well.

She walked in every day with a pep in her step, jumping up from her seat when Professor Quincypratt called for them to pick partners. As soon as class was over, she'd be out the door instantly, dragging Phoebe along. She'd become very skilled at making it to and from classes and around the castle without having to deal with Severus at all. She'd even taken to meeting with Lily to talk about medicinal potions to keep Severus at bay, although they'd gotten no better at making the potions and Lily was convinced they'd be on the N.E.W.T.s exam. But Quincypratt had made it clear that the upcoming class would be back to lectures and book work. They were beginning a new unit and he felt it best to teach the students everything there was to know before letting them practice. Eri sighed. Most everyone was already inside, but she waited until the very last second to walk in. There would be no pre-class interactions if she could help it.

Soundlessly, she took her seat, forcing herself to stare straight ahead. Professor Quincypratt twitched nervously as he addressed the class. "Welcome back, all. If it's alright, I want to get us right in to our bit on something I think you all will find tremendously interesting. We're going to be learning about four and five "x" classification beasts. Extremely dangerous, them."

Severus shifted in his seat, but Eri ignored him. She dug out parchment from her bag and began furiously scribbling notes more detailed than she'd ever taken before. She busied herself with writing down every single word Quincypratt said, making extra notes here and there to look into and do more research on later. Every now and then she'd see Severus look over at her from the corner of her eye, his quill pausing above his notes. This only made her write more heatedly. Once the lecture was over, however, she found it much harder to pay attention to the book and found herself reading groups of paragraphs without remembering anything at all. She had to force herself to go back and start again.

A small piece of parchment landed inches from her hand.

Eri cut her eyes at the note. In minuscule, cramped letters the words "we need to talk" had been written on the middle of the page. She stared at it dumbly for a moment. Blinking once, twice, a third time… She could feel Severus' eyes boring into the side of her head. Slowly, she let her eyes drift from page to tabletop to the robes of the Gryffindor girl in front of her to a painting on the far wall to the ceiling, eagerly pretending not to have seen any note at all and not needing to talk to anyone.

Severus shoved the paper towards her once more. She turned her head further away, looking at the classroom door behind her instead. No, sir, she thought. Not today. There is absolutely no note. There was never a note.

She could still feel Severus' eyes on her followed by a sudden urge to think about meeting in the common room, the need to revisit her chat with Castor. Her heart began to race. She couldn't run or hide this time. There was no one to talk to her, distract her. Maybe she'd been right about him this entire time and it hadn't just been her sleep-deprivation talking. She was backed into a corner inside her own head, and she had no other choice.

As loudly as she could to herself, trying with difficulty not to hum, she began reciting the only song that she could think of. Screaming it. She could imagine Fat Pauly and Mag drunkenly singing and conducting their own rendition at the pub after a football game.

 _GOD SAVE OUR GRACIOUS QUEEN. LONG LIVE OUR NOBLE QUEEN. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN._

The second class dismissed Eri was up and moving. She made her way to Phoebe and linked arms with her. They passed Snape moments later, heading off to dinner. They'd planned to meet up with Castor, who'd stopped hanging around with the house elves for the time being, and try to get work done before the quidditch game the following day. If Eri wanted to watch Slytherin beat Gryffindor, she'd have to try harder at the medical potions like she'd promised Lily. She wanted to ask Castor, but decided against it. She hated having to constantly ask him for help. And she hated that he was constantly there, doing things for her like sneaking her coffee, when she couldn't do anything back. The guilt made her stomach churn.

After dinner, the girls headed back to their room. Eri laid in bed long after everyone else had fallen asleep hoping that this wasn't going to be another all-nighter. Her mind raced. If she could get herself to fall asleep, perhaps she could wake up early and start her potions work so she'd be done in time for the first game of the season. She closed her eyes, squeezing them together tightly, and took a few deep breaths. Sleep evaded her. It crept around, just close enough for her to know it was there, but danced away whenever she got near it. Now that she was safety tucked away in her room, she could let her mind wander, and wander it did.

The thought crossed her mind to get up and go search around for that secret hiding spot in the wall. She seriously considered it. Fornax sat on the windowsill, watching the lake. Eri reached over and petted him. He looked back at her. "Do me a favor, would you?" Her voice was barely a whisper. He stared at her, the tip of his tail flicked back and forth. "Go see if anyone is out and about in the common room?" Fornax responded with a low growl. "What? It's not like you're sleeping. And it's important!" He turned away, looking out of the window. "Fornax, you git, please? I need to know when the common room is empty." Fornax didn't give any indication he cared in the least bit. Eri gave up, throwing herself back on her bed. She was met by a round of loud snores from Phoebe. Across the room, Matilda stirred in her sleep.

She rolled over, annoyed at Fornax, and closed her eyes. Eventually she dozed off, unaware that Fornax had slipped through a hole in the wall and crept down the hall. He sat in the corner of the common room, watching. The odd smelling boy with black hair was still there, as he normally was, reading. Fornax remained still for an hour or so, watching the boy scribbling away in the book he was going through, until the boy closed the book, made it disappear, and hide it within the walls. Fornax was back in the girl's dorm before the fire was put out, but Eri had already fallen asleep.

The cat woke her up early the next morning by shoving himself under her covers and curling up, hogging a good chunk of bed. She grumbled and cursed all the way to the common room, rubbing her eyes as she went. The room was empty. A thought crossed her groggy mind and she paused. The wall where Severus had hidden his book was right in front of her. She took a step towards it, thinking that it would be safe to get a peek inside with no one around.

A door down the hall closed, causing her to jump. It sounded like it'd come from the boy's side. Eri couldn't risk anyone coming across her playing with the wall and she definitely didn't want to risk running into Severus alone. She turned on her heels and started towards the exit, adjusting her bag as she went. There was a lot of work she needed to do and only a few hours to do it in.

She made it to the library in no time, only passing the Bloody Baron's ghost as she went, but he never said much. No one else was out and about so early. Even the library witch was surprised to see a student out of bed early and during the weekend no less. Eri didn't pay her much mind as she was more concerned about setting up at a table near a window and figuring out how she was going to master medicinal potions in only a few hours. She shook her head as she went. Lily was exceptional at potions. To be completely honest, Lily was the reason Eri was able to get by the way she had, and Lily was so clearly Slughorn's favorite. But, for some strange reason, neither of them could get medicinal potions right. They were always sub-par at best. They couldn't heal wounds, but somewhat stop bleeding. They couldn't cure confusion, but made the confused fall asleep. And every time a potion Lily made didn't turn out perfect, he gave her this sad puppy look like she'd let him down. It had been quite bothersome to Eri and heartbreaking to Lily. Eri owed it to her to get better.

For an hour straight, she read through the potions book. Each time she read through an instruction, she had to remember how that step had gone during Lily and Eri's trials. Now and then she made notes in the book of different things to try or underlined crucial steps that they may have been messing up or skipping. She was tempted to go so far as to try and brew a Dragon Pox Serum right there if she would have been able to test it on something. She kept her head in her book as the sky grew grey and thunder began to rumble. Icy, October rain started to pelt the windows with large droplets. The match would be starting soon and Eri was still struggling, unable to figure out where their Dysphoria Draught had gone wrong.

"It's the Beringian Root."

Eri jumped back violently, slipping out of her small chair as she did so. "Blasted son of Merlin," she swore and got quickly to her feet. Her wand was drawn the next instant.

Severus stood before her, dark hair messier than normal and deep bruises accentuated his dark eyes. He carried his school bag with him, but didn't take out his wand. "The Beringian Root," he continued. "It's how you're cutting it. I've seen how you do it in class." He hesitated before setting his bag on the other end of the table. "We need to talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you, you slimy git," Eri started angrily. A loud shush came from somewhere near the entrance of the library. She lowered her voice. "You think I'll let you come around, pushing me all over the place, telling me what to do, letting you corner me whenever your knickers get twisted?" Without wasting any more time, she started shoving things into her bag.

Severus watched for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I have… deciding on a different approach."

Eri snorted. "Changed your mind, have you?" She stuffed a roll of parchment in her bag. "Have you finally realized that my threats should be taken seriously or perhaps Lily set you straight?" Eri expected a snappy retort, but was met with silence. She glanced at Severus, pausing with a book in her hand. He'd turned away, trying to hide the pained look on his face. "Lily, then, is that it?"

She could see his jaw clench, but his voice came out low and steady. "I told her I wouldn't do anything to you."

"You won't do anything to me, I don't care who you told." The response came out more as a growl. "I think we're done here."

"I have a deal," Snape said, finally turning to look at her.

"Don't care," Eri replied, sticking the last book inside her shoulder bag and pushing in her chair. She spun around and started down the aisle.

"I'll help you with potions," Severus said after her. "I can make all the medicinal potions, you might have noticed."

Eri stopped. She rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath, but didn't turn around. "And just what makes you think I need help?"

"You both do," he said, take a step closer to her. "I've heard her talk about it. I've seen Slughorn's face every time you two mess up. She's carrying you through that class and Slughorn's disappointment is killing her." He paused. "This wouldn't be for you. It's her I want to help."

Eri turned to face him. He met her eyes coldly. Hers narrowed and she raised an eyebrow. "I see what this is," she said quietly. In a few steps she'd closed the gap between them. All the pieces were falling into place. "Why does she hate you, Severus?"

He swallowed. She met his harsh gaze with one of her own, refusing to back down until finally he looked away. "I said something to her I shouldn't have."

"You were friends once, yeah? How bad could it have been for her to still be upset about it?"

She thought for a moment she saw his eyes water, but he shut his eyes. He spoke slowly, drawing out his words, chewing them. "I called her something awful and I have regretted it ever since."

"Just what was this something awful?"

"I won't repeat it. I will never repeat it, leave it at that." He opened his eyes again, staring off at the books. "I just need her to understand how sorry I am. I'll apologize every day for the rest of my life if I have to. If I could just make her see…"

"See what," Eri said. "See that you're so bloody in love with her that you can't think straight?" Snape shot her a glance. "That's it, right? You say a mean thing to the girl you love. She doesn't know you love her. She hates you and now you hate you, too? Why are you do hell-bent on one girl? There are literally hundreds here?"

Snape didn't respond at first. He kept his eyes away from hers. "Do we have a deal or not?"

"What do you mean a deal," Eri said, putting one hand on her hip. "Just what do you expect me to do in return for your help at potions?"

"I'll ignore everything I saw that night."

"What night," Eri bristled.

"The night in the common room. I'll forget anything I might have seen and you'll forget anything you might have heard. As long as you help me try to win Lily back."

"You probably didn't see anything and I sure as hell didn't hear anything. Are you sure these are fair terms?" Severus narrowed his eyes at her. It took a lot of effort for her not to swear out loud again. "Fine, but this deal is only good for potions, not winning her back. If you want extra from me, I'll need extra from you," she said.

"Name it," he shot back instantly.

"Erm… Well," Eri started. "For starters, you are no longer allowed to be a bleeding tosser, you understand? We may not be friends, but you'd best start acting like you've got some manners when you talk to me." Severus glared at her, but nodded. "Secondly, um… When I think of a second thing, I'll let you know. And you will have no choice but to do whatever thing I ask you to do."

He was quiet for a moment, thinking everything over. "Fine," he said at last. "That's a deal then."

"It's a deal," Eri said quietly. They stood there for a moment in a tense silence. "Right," she said, breaking their silence. "I'll be off then."

"Not so fast. We have potions to cover."

Eri looked out of the closest window. The rain was coming down hard, but she could see lines of students making their way down to the quidditch field. "But the match will start soon." She looked back at Severus.

He raised an eyebrow at her, then motioned for her to take a seat. "Guess you better listen well and learn fast. We do this my way."

Eri didn't make it to the match, although she'd later learn of Slytherin's victory. She had spent a good two and a half hours in the library with Severus, listening to all the extra tips and instructions he gave. It hadn't gone without a lot of tension and butting of heads, but they got a lot done in the end. They agreed to meet back the following Monday. There was no sense in trying to schedule work around the holiday and it'd give her time to start some of the extra homework he'd assigned to her. She grumbled about the additional workload all the way down to the Great Hall. Castor and Phoebe were already seated and eating lunch. They asked her to join them, but Eri knew should couldn't. She owed it to herself to get back to the common room and work. It'd be quiet there with everyone out celebrating and she had more homework than she knew what to do with. Castor's sad puppy frown didn't make it easy, but she dragged herself down to the dungeons.

Eri spent the better part of the day working. Phoebe found her and made her go down for dinner, but as soon as she was done, Eri headed right back to the dorm room, working until the other girls complained about the light from her wand as they were trying to sleep. She was worked up since, for the first time all semester, she was starting to feel confident about her potions work. Severus may be an awful, love-struck git, but he's potion skills were brilliant. He hadn't just told her what to do. He'd explained why things worked the way they did in the brews and showed her what it meant to craft potions, not just make them. It was strange and exhilarating all at once and Eri had never been so engrossed in homework before. She'd been switching back and forth: spending some time on her actual class work and then the work Severus assigned. She felt the urge to keep going, even though it was late and everyone else had gone to bed. She wanted to get caught up on her real homework so that she'd have time to do the extra properly, but knew she'd better force herself to fall asleep. She could get up early and finish then. She was out as soon as she settled into bed, much more tired than she'd originally thought.

In the dead of night, Fornax crept into the room and jumped on the bed. He sat down and stared at Eri. She didn't notice him as she was sound asleep. He put a paw on her leg. No response. He tried rubbing up against her. Still nothing. Fornax growled. Tired of waiting, he sprung. Eri was jolted awake by a big, black, furry mess landing on her chest. "What the hell are you doing? Are you mad," she hissed in the dark. Fornax glared down at her, amber eyes glinting in the moonlight reflecting off the Black Lake, before he jumped down and padded towards the door. "You want me to let you out? You find your way in and out by yourself all the bloody time! You don't need me for it!" A low rumble came from the floor. Eri pushed herself to her feet and hissed obscenities all the way to the door. She jerked the door open and waited for him to pass.

He took a few steps and looked back at her. "Well go on then," she whispered. He didn't move. "What? Do you expect me to follow you?" He took a few more steps and looked back, waiting for her. "Oh, for fuck's sake... Lead on, then." He pattered down the hall quietly with Eri tailing him. Once they got close to the short, connecting hall that lead to the common room, Eri could make out voice, harshly whispering. Fornax, satisfied that she'd followed, lead her to the edge of the hall before turning around and trotting off back to the comfort of her bed. Eri shivered in her pajamas, the cold stone floor caused her toes to burn. She ignored it and tried to make out what was being said. She couldn't recognize the voices, but some of the words were clear enough to make out. Whoever it was happened to be talking about Halloween. There was something mentioned about dinner. They planned to do something around the Halloween feast, because "airy-one'll be distracted." Eri couldn't make out much more, although she was positive she heard something about a young Gryffindor, but if these were the same blokes Severus was talking to so many nights ago… She remembered his warning to them about practicing their curses on students. Eri trembled violently, but not from the cold.

She retreated to her room, wanting to crawl back into bed and forget the whole thing. "Is this what you wanted," she hissed at Fornax as she closed the dorm door back. "I told you to tell me if the common room was empty, not make an accomplice!" Fornax sprawled across the bed, flicking his tail back and forth. "I should _not_ get involved with anymore of this nonsense. I will not! Don't give me that look! Dealing with Severus is more than enough." She said the last part too loud. One of the girls rolled over and sat up, looking around. Eri froze, hoping that it was too dark for the girl to see anything. After a minute or so the girl gave up and laid back down. Eri waited until she heard soft snores coming from the girl's bed. Fornax gave her a soft mew. She shot a glare his way and raised a finger at him. "I won't and that's the end of it. It probably wasn't even anything bad, you know. You're just jumping to conclusions and I am going back to bed. Next time, you wake me up when it's empty, you hear me? _Empty_." With a hard push, she moved Fornax over and crawled into bed. He growled but curled up at her feet. It was difficult, with her stomach turning and the burning feeling deep in her gut telling her something was bad, but she was able to fall asleep. She dreamt of pumpkin pasties and treacle tarts, of bats and floating candles, of Phoebe and Castor stuffing their faces. But something, she wasn't sure what, made her look over her shoulder, made her leave the table, dragged her outside of the castle. Dark figures moved across the lawn of the castle, shadow-like and jerky. Eri took one step. Two steps. Three and then she was off, running hard after them, afraid of what would happen if she didn't make it in time. Her breath came out in huffs of white, the chilly air burned her lungs. She was shivering but didn't care. The figures slipped through the shrubbery of the Forbidden Forest and Eri's heart raced. There was too much of a gap between them. She'd loose them in the trees. She pushed herself. Her heart pounded so hard it was giving her a headache and she thought she might pass out. One second, then two, three, four, five… She burst through the trees and froze.

Golden eyes, with slit pupils, sat inches from her face. Every pore on Eri's body puckered. Long, branch-like claws reached out.

Eri shot up out of bed, heaving. She was dripping with sweat despite the cool room and she could have sworn her breath came out white. Her heart struck her ribcage with unhealthy force. Fornax sat on the end of her bed, staring at her. It took her several moments to settle down, slow her heartbeat, and convince herself that she'd just had a vivid dream.

The sun trickled through the window, dancing between heavy clouds. She didn't wait for anyone else to get up before getting out of bed and quickly getting dressed. The room felt more compact than usual to Eri and she wanted to get out into the castle. Fornax followed her out, trailing behind her as she pushed her way out of the dungeon and started down to the Great Hall.

"It was just a dream, Fornax. I'm fine. You don't need to keep a watch on me." Fornax continued to follow her, clearly thinking otherwise. "I'm not getting involved with whatever the hell those two were talking about last night. I'm not even sure it really happened," she said matter-of-factly and crossed her arms. Fornax growled as they made their way through the corridors. "Bugger off, will you? It's not my business," she said turning to look at him just as they made it to the large doors of the Hall.

"What's not your business?"

Eri jumped. "Castor! Make some noise next time, yeah? Do I need to have you fitted for a bell?"

Castor, disheveled hair and smirk worn like a signature, nodded to her, than Fornax who had wrapped himself around Castor's ankles. "G-morning and happy Halloween to you as well. Up early again, I see. Tell me you've had a bit of rest and won't be acting like a looney this time?" Eri pursed her lips and raised her eye brow. "Keep your pants on, I'm only joking," he added quickly. "Let's get breakfast and we can work on that Transfiguration homework."

Eri nodded, following behind him as they walked. She looked back over her shoulder at Fornax. "Go on. There will be no more crazy adventures for me."

"Was'sat?"

Eri jerked her head at Fornax once more before he gave up and padded off, tail waving behind him. She then turned to Castor, taking a few steps to make up the gap between them. "Just seeing Fornax off is all. He's being very clingy today."

* * *

Chapter 8 is already in the works and the playlist for this chapter is live. Let me know what you think of both the story and the playlists if you have time to check them out!

Thanks for sticking with me this far.

-LG


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